


Someone Other than Me

by cleonsyk (lrviolet)



Series: The Royals [1]
Category: 2PM (Band), DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, Super Junior, f(x), 소녀시대 | Girls' Generation | SNSD
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Romance, Royalty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 13:50:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 95,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5093114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lrviolet/pseuds/cleonsyk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Will we stop believing in love just because we can't see it?" A story about love and marriage, of friendship and sisterhood, of magic and spells.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Missing Prince

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. Names of characters and other related material belong to their rightful owners, content from artists in South Korea. Any coincidence from her works of fiction is not committed on purpose by the author and extends her apologies in advance if they do. These stories are not to hurt the characters enlisted and are part of the story, or their families and friends. Author has no ownership of characters unless stated otherwise. Stories are purely fictiotious and are not intended to portray the characters in real life. This DISCLAIMER is objective to all stories written by the author. Also, the background images used in the stories are not my property and was borrowed.

Days, weeks, months, years, decades, and centuries long before the modern day, small parts of Korea was cultivated and colonized by different people, causing the massive change in traditional culture and thus provoking to new ordeals and laws that need be followed by the small villages. As time progressed, the country fought its way to freedom, earning once again their land. But out of all the villages in the country, a few still trailed on to the culture the foreigners had on them---having monarchies and dynasties according to their way of life: riding in horses and wearing ball gowns were all the customary. These traditions remained to others.

The kingdom of Byungmi was a peaceful realm. The King once belonged to a clan of brave warriors who defeated invaders, and so he was tougher than what the townspeople expect. Whatever battles he fought, he always won them over, attaining at least a price from each of his victory. He has a room in the palace solely for these treasures and no one is allowed inside, heavily guarded by monstrous blokes. Soon afterwards, he felt lonesome not having anyone assume his role because his wife, the lovely queen, could not bear him a successor.

One night he snuck out to the deep Jeohwang Forest, knowing a witch who used spells and magic. Though these magical creatures cease to exist and only little of their kind is roaming in the world, he knew very well that this witch was quite special. The king visited her, requested from her the next King of Byungmi but was regarding only of a very heavy price. The king must forcefully give up the Elixir of Youth, which generated its holder to be youthful, once every drink and will stay as so as long as he or she keeps on drinking it. Every drop was as valuable as a dragon’s scale, and so the King was worried he would be tricked. He promised the witch to give her a few of it tomorrow, and so with that bargain they made a deal.

The next day the King brought in a small bottle wrapped around in purple cloth. It was unsafe to be near the Elixir of Youth during the morning, it drains out childhood memories from the one who held it. That’s why it is always drunk at night, opened only at night.

The witch exchanged it with her own spell slipped inside the bottle. They swapped containers and went their own way. The king made the queen drink what the witch had conjured up, and to his surprise, it worked truly as a charm.

But the witch was enraged. The king had given her a fake sample; he didn’t fulfill his promise. But now that the spell was drunk by the queen, it was practically impossible to change it or take it back. It was risky to go to Byungmi alone for she would be hunted and she would be killed---it was in the laws after all.  
The king was disappointed after nine months in wait to see that he would be having a princess instead. In much luck, after another year, the queen was conceiving. It would seem he was already blessed when a boy came into their life. This was the time where the witch would begin her revenge.

Understanding that it was the King’s happiness, she purposely left the forest and took a small visit to his majesty. The whole kingdom was in celebration because of the birth of the next heir, unmindful that a witch disguised herself as one of the princess’s nurses, hurriedly running through the hallways and up to the baby’s quarters. Such an angelic baby, too bad she would have to raise him to become the most powerful living alive. He would overthrow his kingdom; he would kill every person in Byungmi.

As she was about to leave the nursery, by the doorway was the king’s two-year-old daughter, ready to tell the world of what she saw. Surprised, the girl kept quiet as instructed by the witch, and then she disappeared into dust, like magic along with the prince. The young girl began crying, attracting attention as she pointed at the crib. She was asked what the thief looked like. The little girl with little vocabulary explained that she was dark and wore a cloak.

They alarmed everyone of this devastating tragedy, now all in search for the kidnapper in mere seconds of the misfortune. But the witch’s powers were weakening, and she found herself appearing in the little streets where the lowerclassmen stayed and celebrated the birth of the prince in their own little way. Changing disguises into her old self, she was running faster and faster, an alarm of horror was spread throughout every lane and alley. In quick haste of hiding back to her territory, the witch abandoned her initial plan, leaving the child on the nearest porch where she knocked, and then quickly disappeared.

An old man a blacksmith opened the door. Worried that the child might catch a cold, he carried it in the house, to his wife who was also frustrated upon seeing the boy. They were going to close their shop and they were going to move to another kingdom through the night.

Using much of her powers from transforming from one face to another, her health had weakened, which had been the alibi of her death.

And ever since then, the prince was nowhere to be found. In another year, the queen had given birth to the last heir, a daughter as gorgeous as all the pearls under the sea. After which, her highness died due to an incurable disease. The blacksmith and his family, along with that child moved to another kingdom, to Sangdokchi.


	2. Black Shadow

“It is a sworn duty, an unwritten rule, to do what was right for your kingdom, for your family, for all the ones you love, even when it is against your own will for others depend on that decision, believe in your decision to make the right choice, be it a sacrifice or a gain.”

It had been eighteen years since the young prince disappeared, and of course, ever since then, he was never forgotten by his people. They all remembered him. She _remembered him_ , that night he was ‘stolen’ and she just stood there, watching him being taken away from her, from her family--forever gone and lost.

From her bed, she could only stare outside of the window, and she felt like her mind was wandering too far again. How could she think of her lost brother at a time as critical as this?

Sangdokchi had always been a kingdom---a town she had wanted to visit since she was very young. It was the closest village to theirs, the one where they trade off their products with the others. There was the sea there, the whole ocean at your toes, its waves whispering you to jump and be free. Its port was filled with large ships, vessels she had longed to ride. This was the ultimate chance of a lifetime, her people would benefit from this as well.

Following of course, the conditions her father and their leader made through an unbreakable deal of friendship. This was not freedom, for she was still chained to her village---chained to her line of duty as the princess of Byungmi.

“Unnie! Unnie!” a continuous knock, an excited one, drummed on her door. She could hear stomping from the door, hurriedly knocking and calling out her name.

Quickly, just like the thought of her brother, she wiped the waters from her eyes, clearing her throat while letting out the last of her sniffs. “Come in, Seohyun-ah.”

Her younger sister, back then still unaware of her oppa’s existence, entered her chambers. Her pastel cardigan and high-cut boots plus a bow and arrow strapped behind her back gave an impression that Seohyun had been in the archery once again. Her assumptions were right.

“Yoona-unnie,” she smiled in glee. “I managed to hit it! I managed to hit it today. Yuri-unnie said so. She said I hit it and everyone else in the garden started cheering. It was amazing.”

She placed a hand over her sister, herself nodding for being proud. “You’re an amazing archer.”

Her smile lowly faded. “You’re just saying that because I couldn’t see, aren’t you?”

“That’s not true,” Yoona’s heart shattered upon hearing her talk like that. She was born during the time of depression, the time when everyone was still grieving of the lost of the prince, the male heir of this nation. It was then that the late queen had trouble giving birth to her. Seohyun was not born blind, but as she grow old, exactly at the age of 10, her sense of sight weakened, so every now and then she would be accompanied by her nurses in case she hurt herself on her own.

“You just started practicing a week ago and now you’ve hit it,” the unnie hugged her, holding her face. “Oh, don’t be like that. You’ll be able to see. Unnie will do whatever it takes to get it back your eyes. Just...trust unnie. You have to trust me, okay?”

She slowly pushed Yoona away in surprise. “How? Unnie, it’s time to give up with that plan. You’re getting married and---”

Annoyed for opening that subject, Yoona’s hand fell on her sister’s mouth, keeping her quiet at once. She glared at Seohyun, who felt how furious the other princess was with this.

“You’ve been crying, haven’t you?” Seohyun guessed, Yoona’s hand slowly falling to her lap as she sighed heavily.

She shook her head, eyes back to the outside world, the blue skies calling her attention. “I shouldn’t hate it, really. It’s already February this morning. I would turn 20 in a few months, and everything is already in a rush. But in a few weeks time, I would...I would no longer see you, Seohyun-ah.”

The dongsaeng embraced the other girl, a small giggle escaping her lips. “Aish, I will always visit you. After the wedding, the king had granted me to live with you in their palace for a month. Everything will turn out fine.”

“It’s because of the war,” Yoona suddenly countered, standing up and hiding behind her lacey bed curtains. “This is the reason why there will be a marriage in the first place. They’re preparing for the war against Dongsook, Seohyun. They’re using us, using both Changmin-sshi and me. Sangdokchi is famous for its weaponry and well-trained men. Byungmi won’t stand a chance if we don’t hold alliance with them. Their king agreed if only I was to marry his first son.”

“But you and Changmin-oppa are friends, right? So, it would be an easy marriage, not a big deal,” Seohyun said, encouraging.

Yoona sneered. “We’re not friends. We only know each other by face and by name but we don’t talk to each other.” She sighed first, ego hurting. “You marry someone if you love them, not because you are just another toy to be given up by the owner.”

“It’s for our kingdom,” Seohyun held her shoulder, still convincing her. “You have to marry him.”

“I’m marrying him for you, Seohyun,” Yoona had various purposes, too. “I will go to Sangdokchi to look for a certain sorcerer. He’s bound to have a spell to give your sight back.”

“I’ve read they have loads of those there, although in hiding,” the other princess stated. “How are we going to look for them if we aren’t even familiar of the streets? And we will never be permitted to take strolls around the village without being guarded. Unnie...please, you don’t have to go all through that trouble.”

“And what?” Yoona snapped at her. “See you suffer like this? You need to see the world. You need your eyes. I will get them back for you. It’s not going to be easy but you...” she suddenly remembered the prince, her younger brother. “You are the next queen of Byungmi. How will you protect them if you could not see a single thing, huh?”

“I have my ways!” Seohyun repaid with a loud yet respectful reply. “I can work it out! Yet you must not fuss over me, over little things. Your throne in Sangdokchi waits you so please...don’t worry about me. Don’t worry about us, just understand that you are marrying Changmin-oppa for everyone in Byugnmi. They are lending us their men, to help us, take care of us because Dongsook would soon send out their own troops.”

“We have our destinies,” Yoona left it as that, fists balled and eyes already teary. “And I know you will have your eyes back. I will not back down from this marriage. I promise to get back your eyes.”

Seohyun smiled, hastily holding out her silver necklace with a ring hanging loosely on it. Yoona giggled cautiously, then nearing her sister as she also held out her own necklace, an identical ring dangling from her neck. Under the ring were their names embedded, with the traditional Chinese characters of Byungmi.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Seohyun said, slapping her forehead when the memory appeared. “Father said we would be having dinner with him.”

“With who? With the King? We always have dinner together,” Yoona asked, her back turned as she head for the windows again.

“Excluding father,” Seohyun replied, picking up her bow and standing up. “The two of us with Prince Changmin.”

 -_-

It glittered, she noticed. Had it always been shimmering? It must be because the sun entered his room, and maybe because it was made out of sheer real silver. She really couldn’t make out why her attention fell on it just now when she had seen him wear it all the time. She continued watching it. Slowly, she found her nifty hands on the ring, its beholder, waking up with wide eyes---drowse still present.

“Yah!” He recognized the girl, shocked to see her barging into his room again. “What are you doing here?”

Uncontrollably now with her eyes set on him, she started laughing, letting go of the necklace and pulling his covers to hide herself, pretending to be afraid of the man she had provoked. Her giggles were unbearably adorable, unstoppable that the person next to her sat upright, shaking his head in irritation. He took his pillow, beat her with it endlessly until the woman moved out of his mat, holding her hands out in defeat, laughing still.

“Okay! Okay! I give up!” she complained, the man also laughing when she started coughing from all the suffocation he had done to her. “You win, Kyuhyun-oppa. You win.”

He picked up his holster, the one he carried around, and showed off his the sword hidden in it. The girl shook her head quickly, repressing her giggles when he approached her.

“Yah! You will be thrown to prison if you kill me!” she told him and he laughed, shrugging. He placed the sword back its case, tossing it to his mat as though it was as light as a feather.

He smirked at her somewhat terrified face. “Fooled you, didn’t I?”

She crossed her arms, one eyebrow rose as she rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t.”

“Shouldn’t you be at the dock, waiting for those fish friends to arrive?” Kyuhyun remarked, going to his trunk to change clothes. “I can’t believe it’s already morning. Why didn’t you wake me up earlier, Victoria?”

She smiled, sitting on the floor. “Because I like you sleeping.”

He imitated the way she said it; eyes squinted back at her. “I will never doubt if your mother tells me you’re actually the daughter of an evil warlock. You did that on purpose so that hyung would scold me.”

“Well, I would be scolded too but I’m a girl,” she teased. “I get more privileges to be tardy.”

He waved his hand lazily. “Wait for me outside. I’ll change first.”

“Aigoo, oppa is all grown up that he can’t change in front of a girl now,” she ragged, getting up with a cackle.

“I’m turning 18 soon,” Kyuhyun retorted, starting to take off his shirt. “Close your eyes then, if you aren’t going to leave, Qian.”

She covered her eyes, moving out of his room in protest. “He doesn’t even have much of a body in the first place. Why hide it.”

He heard this comment, smugly now changing into his working clothes. They were a bit worn out, tattered shirt but it was still an okay use for the mean time. If he earned much, he could change into something better, and maybe even buy his good old uncle some knew materials for working. He could have their workshop repaired as soon as he gets his pay for the week. A few won here and there, various jobs---it always gave him the understanding that he had to work to survive life.

He looked at a piece of broken mirror, himself looking as skinny as before. He gazed at his chest, the ring’s reflection dazzling like the real image. He held it in his palms for a minute. His best friend, the girl who kept on coming back even when not wanted, was Chinese in origin, and she could understand and read it.

Byungmi. He had never been to Byungmi but he had heard of it in his fathers’ stories, his mother’s ideals...his family came from Byungmi, really. He was born in that kingdom, and he did once consider visiting it, both him and his cousin who was months older than him. If only he could remember the first ten years of his life, he could have explained some things that are happening to him now.

“Kyuhyun-sshi, come have breakfast first!” his aunt met up with him in the staircase, his eyes gazing already to their wooden dining table, where some girl---that specific girl sitting in between his family---was already sipping her soup. Her attention turned to Kyuhyun, her smile as heartwarming as her wave.

“Let’s have breakfast first,” she told him, picking up her spoon.

Because days were quite peaceful, his uncle’s work had gotten lax, looser than ever and hardly anyone ever asked for his profession as a sword maker.

Kyuhyun’s eyes flared in irritation. “Yah! Qian! Just because Khun is favoring you, doesn’t mean you won’t be going, you fatty user.”

She laughed, covering her mouth. His aunt whacked his shoulder with her ladle, glaring at her nephew. “Kyuhyun-sshi, Victoria helped making breakfast so don’t tell her off.”

“I’m not hungry now that you told me that,” he muttered, moving passed her and to the kitchen.

“Insulting as always,” his uncle exhaled, looking at the woman beside him. “Oi! Kyuhyun!”

His shoes spun himself around, a lazy expression etched all over his face as he got himself some water. “Yes, ahjusshi?”

“Someone’s going to celebrate their birthday soon,” he started, eyes set on Victoria.

Kyuhyun clapped his hands happily, remembering as soon as he could that he approached the table. “Oh yes, that’s right! I’ll be 18 in two days!”

Victoria stood up, her pride overthrowing Kyuhyun with her big brown eyes. “I’m turning 19 tomorrow!”

“And you call me oppa,” Kyuhyun mocked back, the woman giving up with a scowl as she sat back.

The older company started laughing at the two, their friendship seemingly growing each day. Knowing that she would be complaining about it through their way to the docks, Kyuhyun rolled his eyes, undoubtedly forced by his inner instincts, and placed an arm over her and she patted him contentedly.

“See, this is why you should just stay at home,” Kyuhyun muttered, letting go and sitting beside her as his aunt served him his soup. “You’re not welcome here, Qian.”

“She practically lives here,” the ahjumma chirped in, smiling at Victoria. “How could you be so mean to her? She’s your lifesaver.”

“She’s my best friend,” Kyuhyun nodded knowingly, getting tired of that story. “So what, doesn’t mean she has to act like she lives here.”

Victoria held her spoon out, blowing the spoon as she stirred towards Kyuhyun. “Say ah?”

He opened his mouth, eating it without any more qualms. “I mean, she’s older than me and she calls me, ‘oppa’. It sounds so nauseous, don’t you think?”

“Okay,” Victoria said afterwards. “I’ll just call you Kyuhyun, then.”

Kyuhyun shook his head, lightly nudging her shoulder. “Yah! I didn’t say I didn’t like it. I just said it was weird.”

She pushed his shoulder with hers, a sneaky smile pounding on her face. Playful and annoyed, he repaid her with a stronger push and she started chuckling when she nearly tripped off her chair.

“And soon enough, I’m going to see the two of you get married,” added his aunt, Victoria’s eyes nearly crying from the amusement that she had to excuse herself from the table. It was embarrassing enough that she was eating breakfast with Kyuhyun’s family, and now his own aunt thought about getting them wed. Oh well, those fantasies were away from her anyway---she did not intend to do so, especially with Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun choked on his soup, hastily drinking water to calm his lungs down from laughing. “Like that could ever happen.”

“We...don’t go that far,” Victoria explained, catching her breath. “We’re just friends. I’m his Best Qian. He’s my oppa. That’s how it works.”

Kyuhyun wiped his mouth after the drink, eyeing his uncle. “Where’s Khun?”

“Your cousin’s at the docks already,” Victoria answered. “If you hadn’t overslept, we should have been there earlier.”

He frowned while finishing his breakfast, pointing her head. “You should have wakened me up, babo.”

“Nichkhun waited for you for an hour,” she replied in defense. “It’s not my fault. I asked him if I should wake you up, and he answered me that I should just leave you be. You woke up two hours later.”

“Woman, do you ever go home?”

-_-

He was tall, she remembered very well. Clear enough upon seeing the man again after two years. He was bound to have gotten taller. His posture was impeccable, his dark black hair slightly messy. His eyes were striking, a remarkable feature that made Yoona blink twice when he approached the princess.

Seohyun bowed first, hearing the footsteps of the man. “Welcome to Byungmi, your majesty.”

“Seohyun-ah?” he recognized her at once, placing a hand over her head. “Look at you. What a big girl you’ve turned into.”

She silently giggled. “Thank you, your highness”

His eyes moved from her to the princess standing beside her, her brunette hair tied to a ponytail, her eyes seemingly in a glare and her mouth was nowhere near to smiling in happiness. She bowed her head at him in respect though her insides were quite the opposite. As she looked up, he smiled feebly, holding his hand out.

“Are you angry at me?” he asked her slowly, and she sneered to look at another direction, in order for their eyes not to meet.

“Let us have dinner now. Come along Seohyun,” Yoona initiated, holding on her skirt as she walked out on him, heading for the next room where they would be served with the finest crabs in the kingdom, for as she had discovered, someone who had been exposed to the ocean would like to have something from the ocean. She left him as quickly as he came, Seohyun already sighing from this meeting.

“You have to forgive unnie,” Seohyun told the prince. “She’s been crying about it earlier this morning.”

He smirked. “Why? Is she in love with someone?”

“Unnie does not listen to her heart,” she answered him. “She only listens to father. So she declines all confessions of love the men in the village do for her. Unnie is very hard to please, really.”

“I have nothing to worry about her other personal affairs. Shall we have dinner, then?” He took her hand and placed it on his arm as they followed Yoona to a smaller area where a table for two was placed, prepared with the meals Yoona was expecting something the prince from Sangdokchi would love to have.   Three candles stood in the middle of the setting, three plates set for each person. The meal was served already, with red wine as their drinks. He chuckled when he saw this, impressed with the preparation, with the service in Byungmi. It simply astounded him. Yoona, frowning when he saw him together with her sister, was standing by the side, her hands behind her back, eyes on the ceiling and pretending to wait.

He cleared his throat. “This looks splendid.” Seohyun knew her way, sitting already to her seat. The man approached Yoona, moved passed her, and held out the seat for her. She turned to him still in scorn and lowered her head in gratitude.

“Thank you.”

“How come you don’t call him Changmin-oppa?” Seohyun interjected.

Yoona shrugged, looking at the man who was beaming at the dongsaeng’s observation. “I just don’t feel like calling him that.”

“Is that so?” Changmin wondered, sitting across her. “What do you like to call me then?”

“Nothing,” she answered immediately, starting to take a bite of the crab. “I don’t like to call you anything. I don’t like you.”

“I don’t like you too,” he reminded her. “But we’re in a deal, anyway. So, let’s play pretend, princess. We won’t settle any deals with your kingdom until you unreservedly accept to be my wife.”

She dropped her spoon and fork to the side “Are you doing this on purpose? Because I have a feeling you really are.” Yoona snapped.

Listening intently to them conversing or rather bickering, Seohyun remained quiet, keeping her laughter to herself as the two talked before her.

“You know very well that we’re both into this because of our fathers,” Changmin smiled at Yoona. “I will never take interest in you, Yoona. Remember this: I will not stoop to that level. Don’t take it the wrong way, but I...have my standards and I do not marry someone just because I want them to sleep with me nor because I love them. I am not easily driven by emotion. No, Yoona. I assure you that I’m not that kind of person.”

“Let me have your word on it,” Yoon requested.

“Is it impossible to trust me?” He inquired, eyeing the princess. “Do you find me more of a stranger than your future husband?”

She twisted her lips in disdain. “Yes, that’s right.”

Changmin nodded, looking back on his food. Crabs again, how could he even take another bite of it? To him, it appeared like a ghost, haunting him even here in Byungmi, miles away from his nation. He knew they were only being homely, and his stay was far unexpected. It had been announced hours before so he could not be waiting for something too grand from Byungmi, and especially from the sisters.

“Imagine this as my proposal,” Changmin said. “And you’re declining it.”

She snickered quietly, covering her mouth. “Aigoo, that’s ridiculous. You don’t need to propose because I’ve already accepted it. Unreservedly and wholeheartedly.”

He laughed. “Not wholeheartedly, because when it comes to the heart, this is against your will. How do I know? Because I am disgusted with this idea.”

Yoona managed to smile. “That’s true. Now...how can I assure that this marriage is absolutely just for the war? We should be separated afterwards, correct?”

Seohyun’s eyes had widened in shock, swallowing her food wholly. “Unnie...you’re going to break the vow? But...but appa---“

Yoona put her hand out, keeping Seohyun silent. The princess’s eyes were set on Changmin seated, also eyeing Yoona with those disgruntled eyes.

“You want it that way?” he asked her, surprised. He smirked afterwards, letting go of his utensils and wiping his mouth. “This is a bit new to me, Yoona. You tell me what you’re planning. Since you’re the girl in this marriage, I’ll just go with your decision.”

She sighed, hating for opening up the idea of separation. “Sorry...I’m just worried.”

“Of what?” Changmin asked her directly. “Of not being accepted into my kingdom? What are you, fifteen years old to be worried about fitting in? You’re twenty, right? I have nothing to worry about raising you or anything.”

Weakly, she shook her head, drinking her wine in silence. “Unnie’s just worried about what might happen after the war, if she were to live in Sangdokchi,” Seohyun spoke, gradually standing up and bowing her head to each one of them. “I will leave you two. I will check Prince Changmin’s quarters if it has already been prepared.”

The prince smiled at her in thanks. “You’re the best, Seohyun-ah.”

Changmin’s eyebrows rose when the dongsaeng left, now gazing at Yoona. “You have my word that Sangdokchi will never fall. Our troops had never lost a single battle and it will remain as so once Dongsook arrives. You have nothing to worry about, be it about Byungmi or Sangdokchi. You’re in safe hands. That is...if you stay with me.”

“I will stay with you,” Yoona countered back, tears already in her eyes. “I said I will be. I said I would be queen of Sangdokchi. I will marry Prince Changmin for my people, for Seohyun, for my father because their safety is important to me. Even if it is not Prince Changmin’s decision to marry me, I know that he too is struggling. He too is defiant of his father’s wishes. But...” She looked at him, almost begging. “I pray that Prince Changmin would not let down my people. I hope that I am enough for him to be respected as his wife. I wish he could accept me as a deserving princess to take care of Sangdokchi. I hope he can trust me and I will do my best not to let him down.”

“I’ll do all of that,” Changmin answered, leaning his head on his hand. “But you could not expect me to respect you as my wife, or treat you like one, or will you ever be enough to be. I can’t trust you, knowing that you are from Byungmi and I am from Sangdokchi. I only want to marry you because it was proposed to be, and thus, I will be the incumbent King of my village.” Yoona looked up at him, her eyes somewhat burning from the horrors the future might bring. Now, as he revealed it to her, it had felt worse coming from him Prince Changmin himself.

“Remember what I said,” he repeated. “I will keep both kingdoms safe. But to love you is merely as impossible as circling the whole universe.”

The princess nodded, quickly wiping her tear. “I understand. Let’s promise not to fall in love with each other. Whoever is the first deserves to starve for a month.”

“Are you also worried of that?” Changmin laughed, agreeing with her deal. “And you have to tell at once or else that would be unfair.”

She grinned. “I can’t wait to see you lose.”

“Okay,” he stood up, bowing at her in grace. “The King had requested me to talk to him after dinner. Must be about what I think of you. One night full of lies, I could not believe I was actually forced to stay here by my father.” He chuckled as he dabbed the napkin at the corners of his mouth.

Yoona smiled at him, staring at his untouched crabs. “Did you like our dinner?”

“I feel full, thank you very much,” Changmin answered, his eyes travelling to his plate.

“Even when you haven’t finished it?” she asked smugly.

He rolled his eyes. “You’re not my wife yet, princess. Don’t start acting like one.”

-_-

_“Kyuhyun!” he heard Nichkhun shouting for him, yet he couldn’t scream loud enough and call him. If he opened his mouth, it was the end of everything. He reached out his hand, and his nose was already being filled to the brim that bubbles were coming out. It was gravity, blame everything on gravity---a restricted strong pull on him that he kept on going down, pulled to the bottom of the sea. It was all over, his lungs being occupied by the salt water. Just before he knew it, a loud splash came and someone dragged him out of the waters, swimming the strongest to get out._

_Khun was shouting and shouting, tears already in his eyes as he turned his back on that edge, running back down to the shore. The waves ate him, and Kyuhyun disappeared in an instant. Nichkhun waited by the shore, as he was praying that this was not the end and then he saw them resurfacing, the long brown hair as distinct as Kyuhyun’s own curly ones. They crossed to the shallower level, Kyuhyun unconscious at the event that Khun quickly took him from the girl._

_“Yah! Kyuhyun! Kyuhyun-sshi!” he was shouting, worried about his cousin that he might have totally drowned._

_The girl shook her head, putting both of her hands on Kyuhyun’s chest and started pumping, water exiting out of Kyuhyun’s mouth. “Come on, Kyuhyun-oppa!”_

_A few minutes of thrusting, the boy awakened, eyes set on his lifesaver._

“Qian. Qian...”

“What?”

The moon entered their room, his roommate looking to his direction when he heard him talk in his sleep. This wasn’t the first time though that he did that, nor was it the second. Nichkhun, the person who was aware of the same reoccurring dream his cousin had, smiled to himself, closing the book. He noticed it was already passed ten, so it was time for bedtime really. Kyuhyun was tired because he overworked himself again, usually that never happens. Kyuhyun and work never really clicked together---would only lead to disaster.

He got up from his mat, took a blanket from the drawer and placed over the sleeping Kyuhyun.

“You did well today, Kyuhyun-sshi,” Nichkhun muttered. He didn’t particularly like talking to Kyuhyun because it always led to bickering with each other. Then again, he was as harmless as grass when he was asleep. “She’s always been safe on her own. Don’t worry much about her.”

Kyuhyun’s brows were curled together, as he moved from right to left, inhaling heavily as though his dream were for real.

“Victoria has always been there for you, hasn’t she?” he continued talking. “You should feel very special, Kyuhyun. She’s a very special girl.”


	3. Understanding Tears

“Good morning!”

Groggily, he opened his eyes, in faint attempt to recognize the voice that greeted him. He stirred upright, seeing the same girl annoying him these past few days, and with that, abruptly heaved up his pillow and hit her with it on the face.

“Go home, Qian!” he shouted at her, shaking his head. He noticed that his hyung, well, cousin that is, entered the room, already prepared to work at the docks that day and he had that smug smile on his face like it was all right to have a girl inside the room.

“Nichkhun! How could you let this...creature inside?”

The other man, leaning against the wall, started chuckling, approaching them with two cups of milk. Kyuhyun gladly accepted his, crossing his legs as he drank it at once.

“That’s no way to treat a lady,” Khun reprimanded, also sitting in between his cousin and Victoria. “Umma said I make you milk.”

Victoria giggled, her tongue out at Kyuhyun. “See, you should be more like your cousin.”

He imitated her accented Korean, the way she spoke it was the worst even to those beginners. “Do you want me to be as boring as Khun?”

His cousin shook his head, grinning. “I’m not boring.”

“You’re right. You’re not,” Kyuhyun answered quickly, finishing the milk before giving another remark. “You’re unexciting.”

Victoria laughed, received a high-five from Kyuhyun. The other man glared at each, holding his finger out. “You evil little children.”

“Acting all adult again just because he’s 18,” Kyuhyun told him off. “Victoria’s older than you.”

Nichkhun smiled, clapping his hands. “That’s right! Omo, I almost forgot. Happy Birthday, Victoria-sshi!” He placed his hand on her head, ruffling her often-neat hair.

She beamed vibrantly at Nichkhun, lowering her head in thanks. “Thank you, Nichkhun!” She turned to the other boy, just staying still and eyeing her in a revolted manner.

“Well?”

“Well what Victoria...noona?” he teased, getting a frustrated Qian to get up and chase after him. Running as quick as he could, Kyuhyun didn’t escape the girl, pinning him down to the floor with her strong arms.

She was far powerful than what other people expect, than what her frail appearance suggested. The two cousins discovered that through the years they had been spending time together---climbing trees, playing by the cliff and sneaking into ships by the port. They met Victoria three years before Kyuhyun fell off the cliff, before he had lost his complete childhood memory---must be when Khun and Kyuhyun were 7 years old. She came by the large ships, along with her family from the big land called China and they became traders in town. But as business was harsh on her parents, her father left her, so she grew up with her mother who was a dressmaker.

When they were 13, Victoria found a job by the docks, along with the cousins, carrying trunks of fresh fishes to the market in exchange for money; they were paid with a very deserving price. Being a woman, she was hardly pushed to do so, instead, she would get to access their boats and do counting. Qian would insist, because it was much more fun working with the boys.

Kyuhyun pushed her backward, Victoria falling back on her butt---both laughing their hearts out. Nichkhun was surprised at this, hurriedly picking up the woman who was still excessively giggling.

“Happy birthday, Qian!” Kyuhyun greeted, standing up and opening his arms. Victoria ran to him, even while Nichkhun was tightly holding her wrist. She gave him a strong hug, Kyuhyun patting her back nonchalantly.

“Let’s have dinner outside tonight,” Victoria suggested, looking back and turning to Nichkhun who was awkwardly staring at his shoes while the two were together. She smiled in encouragement, knowing that Khun would love that idea too. “All three of us.”

His face brightened a little pink perhaps, but his eyes were beaming. “I’d love that. But...where?”

“Hmm, I know a pretty good place,” Kyuhyun said, moving away from Victoria. “It’s...costly but I’ve saved a few of my earnings.”

“You’ll do that...for me?” Qian’s eyes glimmered, as Kyuhyun nodded in reply. “Goodness! That’s...that’s...just too much, Kyuhyun-sshi.”

Nichkhun sighed, grinning as he placed an arm over his cousin. “I know. So I’ll have to butt in and give up my savings too.”

“But....but...tomorrow’s your birthday,” Victoria added, still uncaring about Khun and more guilty for exposing the Kyuhyun to her ideas.

Kyuhyun chuckled his usual laugh. “Then, you pay me back.”

“The prince is returning today, right?” Nichkhun redirected the topic. “With the next queen of Sangdokchi, right? I heard she’s from Byungmi.”

“Outsider?” Victoria looked at him curiously. “Prince Changmin should have just chosen someone from Sangdokchi, even when she’s not a princess.”

“Byungmi?” Kyuhyun asked him, Khun knowing that he’d be interested. “You mean from that town across ours?”

Nichkhun smiled. “The wedding’s this Saturday. Why don’t we all go? After all, I think the Prince won’t mind, right? It’s impossible to think that there are loads of royalties when there are only 7 nations. They can’t finish all the food.”

“But don’t they have like an invitation or a pass strictly for his majesties?” Victoria countered. “Plus, I bet it’s not just within the Southern Division. What if they also invite other leading villages from other countries, then wouldn’t that be a problem?”

Kyuhyun stood up, getting himself another idea. He approached his side of the room, hurriedly opening his trunk, cobwebs sticking by its lid. Made out of wood, the trunk had been in Kyuhyun’s possession since he was a baby, and ever since then, all his clothes were kept in here. He caught the other two’s attention, silent after he pulled out a hat, along with the gloves and boots.

“Aren’t those from...the opera house you stole from when we were younger?” Nichkhun pointed, remembering them. Kyuhyun nodded, putting on the vest and all the other items, slipping into them as if they were his. Now that he was bigger than he was seven years ago, he looked very formal, as Kyuhyun picked up his sword, the only one he has, the one received from his uncle last Christmas.

Finally, he concluded his dress-up with a mask, his eyes through the holes and an obvious smirk to his best friends.

“Let’s play pretend.”

Victoria’s smile brightened the whole room. “I’ll ask mother to sew us newer clothes, then. This will be exciting.”

From downstairs, they could hear Nichkhun’s mother banging a casserole with a wooden ladle probably, and thus calling their attention for breakfast. Qian and Kyuhyun, eyeing each other, moved swiftly towards the door, racing like little children---leaving Khun behind as he picked up the mask Kyuhyun left on the floor.

“I really feel like I’m the only one acting my age here.”

-_-_-_-

“Good morning.”

It was his first time to wake up in this village, and for the first time, he couldn’t smell the ocean by the window, only meeting the tall gates of the palace and the roofs of the middleclass men’s homes. His eyes travelled to the girl standing beside him, still wearing her nightgown and her hair loosely hanging on her shoulders. He couldn’t put it how his memory played with him. When he was around seven, he and Yoona usually talked to each other---during special gatherings where their fathers meet up. It must be because they were both the firstborns in the family and the holders of the future generation.

He sighed wearily, staring now outside the tall windowpane. “Good morning.”

“Did you sleep well?”

He smiled sociably now rather than being very aloof like last night. “Yes, quite a good sleep.”

“Do you miss your kingdom?”

“We’re leaving today,” Changmin revealed and of course, she had known this. She nodded in understanding, advancing towards the man as she tried to gaze at the sunrise as well.

She cleared her throat. “Do...you do this often?”

“Do what?” he asked her, questioning the reason for her talkativeness.

“Stand by the window and watch the sky, how often?” she wondered eagerly, as though it really would interest her, as though it had anything to do with her. She smiled when Changmin’s expression changed to irritation.

He twisted his lips, looking at the still horizon. “Why are you concerned all of a sudden?”

“So I can watch the sky with you,” Yoona answered casually, making Changmin turn to her in shock. She eyed him with an unpretentious smile, the ones that could make any man wonder why.

His face was impassive, eyes cowering almost from the hair fringes that touched them. “Don’t,” and Changmin turned his back on her.

“Wait, I---”

The prince stopped at his pace, couldn’t resist due to his princely manners and well-rounded background that he turned, approaching Yoona again quietly. “I said don’t.” Changmin smiled at her confidently. “The wedding will be this Saturday and by the time you turn twenty, the crown will be handed over.”

Yoona bit her lip, sadly lowering her head. “You make me feel ridiculous. I’m only doing my best to know you more.”

“If you do that, you’ll lose our deal. You can’t fall in love with me remember? Getting to know me will get you...attracted,” he reminded her. “You are expected to leave today with me, along with your sister. There will be time for that ‘knowing’ once you move in with me in the palace. You are to stay in Sangdokchi whether you like it or not. I assume you studied about our kingdom.”

“Water Village,” Yoona miserably answered him. “Sangdokchi is considered to be the twin village of Byungmi, that’s why our bond was already expected since birth. It would be because in history, it said that Byungmi and Sangdokchi make up one big island, only the latter was exposed to the sea because it was lower in land formation. That’s why Byungmi is full of tress, because our elevation is higher than that of Sangdokchi. When a huge earthquake shook the earth, the two were divided, and cliffs were formed at the peaks. It has been possible now to cross thanks to the strong Baekham Bridge.”

Impressed with her history, he just nodded. “Very good. Have you packed your things?”

She yawned. “Yes, a little.”

“You seem sleepy,” Changmin noticed, turning his back now and heading for the stairs once more. “Get some rest. It’s a six-hour travel to Sangdokchi you know.”

She shook her head, following the prince down the staircase, who was ahead almost by twenty steps. “I’m too excited of seeing the village, actually. That’s why I can’t sleep.”

He smirked. “You’ll regret it.”

“I have a question, though,” Yoona interacted more, slowly going down the stairs, Changmin uncaring. “Is it true that sorcerers and witches live in Sangdokchi?”

“You’re so immature, Yoona,” Changmin told her, as they passed by another long hallway to the dining area. “Those exist but we banished them to another island far from Sangdokchi, almost in the middle of the ocean.”

“Why? Why did you that?” she nearly shouted in shock.

The man stared at her surprisingly, wondering what in the world had gotten into Yoona for her to act so violent about freaks. Did she know about how powerful these creatures were? Didn’t she read about wizardry when she was younger? For crying out loud, was she unaware that one look even from a young untrained warlock could kill a mere mortal like her?

“Because they cause havoc. We don’t want more mess when Dongsook invades our town.”

“But I need to see one,” Yoona complained. “Are you sure all are banished away?”

He stopped, turning to her with a glare. “Yah, what is wrong with you?”

The young princess, not wanting to involve Changmin into her personal problems, shook her head, running away from him. “It’s...nothing.” She lowered her head, moving passed the speechless prince, and heading back towards her quarters. She had to think of another way in getting back Seohyun’s eyes, if only those sorcerers didn’t disappear. Yoona just had to.

He sighed when she left, shaking his head in dismay and muttered, “I’ll be very unfortunate for the rest of my life.”

-_-_-_-

Lengthening to the floor, the pastel dress made her feel very womanly, and her bust area was embroidered with the most gorgeous laces. She wore her hat now, tying the end of the ribbon by her chin, as she stared at the open.

Well, this was it. A knock came from her door; she turned and requested the visitor to come in. As expected, it was her younger sister Seohyun, with one of her nurses, Yuri (who was the youngest of all their ladies in waiting). In a rush, the princess had turned to Yoona, quickly reaching out for her sister’s hands and putting them to her hot cheeks, clearly anxious.

“I’m so excited!”

Yoona giggled with her, jumping up and down. “Me too! I...I can’t believe this. Are your things in the carriage already?”

“Yes, unnie. They are,” Seohyun replied. “Are yours there, too?”

Before the princess could answer, another visitor entered, his crown nearly touching the header of Yoona’s door. He was tall, eyebrows bushy, a man bearded paired with a protruding belly---not because he was lazy or any of that crap. His cape had furs by its trimming, trailing behind him as he entered the quarters, his men making a long line by the doorway.

His footsteps even sounded prominent, especially to the dongsaeng who relied more on her ears. The two princesses bowed their heads in the presence of their father, afraid that he might once again scold them for something or anything that was imperfect about them. Ever since, as Yoona inferred, the disappearance of the unnamed prince, his mood had been that of a dictator towards his daughters. On the outside, to his people, he had been kinder, more pleasant to chat with, but with his own blood, it would sound more like a dream.

“I don’t want any problems with your marriage.” The King remained emotionless when he spoke, Yoona, whose head was lowered in modesty, nodded.

“I will not disappoint the King,” Yoona answered firmly, Seohyun keeping silent.

“I won’t stay too long in Sangdokchi,” King Sanghyun’s voice was loud even in such a lighthearted tone. “After the wedding, I will leave at once to take care of Byungmi. I will leave the maknae in your hands for a month, so that she will be accustomed to their culture and at least, be safe until Dongsook tries to attack our kingdom. Do not...ever make a fool out of yourself in Sangdokchi. Remember that you are holding the pride of our village. Do not make your future people think that you are not well rounded. Don’t...don’t be yourself, for once Yoona. Follow my commands and nothing will go wrong.”

The princess nodded, biting her lips. She must be the princess of Sangdokchi---be literate in any field of knowledge, understanding and polite. She had to hold her temper in, not shout in front of the other people, respect elders, keep her emotions to herself and always think decisions through. Yoona should not be Yoona. Yoona should be like Seohyun.

“Yes, father.”

“Seohyun-ah,” he turned now to the younger princess, the girl bowing her head sheepishly. The King placed his hand over her shoulder. “As soon as the war ends, your marriage will take place and I have already made deals with another nation. I’m uncertain if that would work out for you but for now, you’re to stay with your sister in Sangdokchi.”

Seohyun nearly gasped at the revelation, but she held her breath in front of his majesty, frightened that she would be punished like the last time.

Yoona, the braver of the two, took the matters herself, asking her father with respect. “Seohyun’s just 16. She’s yet to mature into a woman, let alone be queen of Byungmi.”

The King turned to her, his eyes in disappointment when the daughter talked back. “She will be 17 in a few more months. Besides we don’t know when the war will end. As soon as it does, it will be her time to reign.”

“But Father---”

“Yoona,” his voice boomed, stopping her. “You were unfortunate to be the first daughter, but you have nothing to worry about getting your inheritance. You will still have half of Byungmi, even when you are not its queen. It has already been decided by our elders that they have Seohyun as the next ruler.”

“It wouldn’t even be Seohyun-ah if the Prince didn’t disappear!” Yoona exclaimed.

Seohyun felt herself shudder at the two arguing about her---and it was unmanageable, barbaric. All her life, being the youngest, her fate had been decided by the people in front of her, been laid before her to just follow obediently. That made the wall between her and Yoona, for she was easily pushed while the unnie had trouble following orders; her unnie was easily provoked while she, mused by most of the elders, was known to be behaved and systematic.

“You shouldn’t be against what I decide for Seohyun,” King Sanghyun reprimanded her, Yoona crossing her arms, both of them calmer than the last time. “Even before the queen had told the elders that she was conceiving, her destiny was to be the next ruler of Byungmi. It had been the rules of this monarch---to let the youngest take control.”

“Yes, those are the laws but that is if, there is no male successor to take...” Yoona discontinued when she felt Seohyun’s trembling hand by her arm, stopping her from talking back anymore.  The princess sighed, carefully pushing Seohyun’s hand off her arm for if she held onto her like that, it would be impossible even to stand up. Yoona knew she was not doing the right thing, completely forgetting the reverence between father and daughter, the king and his princess, heaven and the earth, but sometimes, the right thing would cause so much sacrifice on the person.

Softly now, her voice strained by Seohyun’s hand, Yoona spoke, “We have to look for the Prince. He can’t be too far. He should have the ring. He should be wearing this. We won’t know if he’s alive until we search again and again and again.” She pulled out her necklace, looked at it in nostalgia, and slowly her eyes were beginning to be teary in memory of her brother.

In silence, the King inhaled deep, putting a hand on Yoona’s shoulder, at the least giving her some kind of moral strength.

“Why are you threatened of giving Seohyun the kingdom?” The King wondered, Yoona shook her head in disagreement again being misunderstood for her actions.

She cleared her throat, her head lifting a little. “I have nothing against that, and Seohyun knows very well that I am greatly honored and proud to have my younger sister be the next leader. Yet, how can we easily listen to measures laid out for us when we know there are still chances of escaping it? I mean, my brother could still be alive. We could look for him. And while we’re at it, we can get back Seohyun’s eyes. We can give her sight back, so she can rule over Byungmi more properly. We don’t have to rush, because Seohyun’s very young. We don’t have to be in a hurry of changing the rulers. I know that my brother is still alive. He deserves to be King, and Seohyun agrees with me. She doesn’t have to marry if she doesn’t want to.”

His highness, completely neglecting her thoughts, snorted at Yoona’s proposition, glaring at her. “As a queen, do you always rely on false hopes? Hasn’t anyone told you that we must keep our heads out of the clouds and into the battlefield? Get yourselves ready. Our carriages are waiting. Both of you will be in a carriage with Prince Changmin.”

“Everything to you father is a battlefield,” Yoona murmured, Seohyun nudging her elbow as they followed their appa out of Yoona’s quarters. One of Seohyun’s nurses, Yuri that is, held both of their hands, smiling apologetically, the two knowing that she had overheard the debate.

“It’s too bad I wasn’t in there to give him a piece of my mind,” muttered the girl, Seohyun giggling softly.

Saddened, Yoona kept quiet. Knowing that she wouldn’t attempt to budge, Yuri turned to her, shaking her shoulders to cheer her up. “Yah, Yoona. Don’t be so depressed. You’re getting married.”

She frowned at Yuri for pulling such a joke, a not so funny one actually. “Getting married to an asshole, Yuri-unnie.”

The nurse thumped her lips, playfully acting like their mother. “Do you think you can take on a kingdom without him? Don’t call the prince with that word. You know it’s still a taboo for princesses.”

Seohyun laughed. “That’s right. Unnie just enjoys them, I guess.”

“Father never understands!” Yoona exploded, telling the two girls what she felt inside as they walked out of the palace to the main gates. “He’s given up on my brother. He’s totally given up on the prince.”

Her sister held Yoona’s hand, gripping it strongly. “Don’t worry about Byungmi, unnie. I will never disappoint you. I think I don’t deserve Byungmi just yet until the Prince had time to take over it.”

“But don’t you think it’s wrong?” Yoona asked.

Yuri looked at her questioningly. “What’s wrong? That your father is deciding to let Seohyun marry someone at such a young age?”

Yoona nodded, pointing at her. “That’s wrong too. I was referring to the fact that it will be unfair for the prince to be replaced by the younger successor. It’s his kingdom, he should be King. I’m just angry that Seohyun will be forced to marry because she will be queen. If she wouldn’t take the throne and the prince would take over, Seohyun wouldn’t have to marry someone she doesn’t love.”

“But the Prince’s not here,” Yuri explained, tapping Yoona’s cheek. “You shouldn’t be so fussed up with this. Your point is pointless, Yoon.”

She rolled her eyes, as the three girls, often mistaken as triplets for their looks, went down the long staircase upon the entry of the palace as three carriages, two horses pulling on each of them, were prepared in front of the porch. Yoona’s soon to be husband seemed to be arguing with the driver, infuriated that he appeared all red in the face. The King of Byungmi however was still busy chatting with the princesses’ cousin, Sunny the Duchess of Euseng, who was to take over of Byungmi while the family was in Sangdokchi.

Approaching the prince by the carriage, Yoona, feeling a little calmer when she saw this comical scene, eyed Changmin first who was in the middle of his lecture, and found himself distracted that he halted, turning to the interrupting princess with an annoyed expression.

“What?”

“Why?” Yoona asked, crossing her arms. “I should ask you that question. What are you complaining about this time?”

He shook his head, impatiently giving up with the drama. He wasted enough of his saliva to be even considering Yoona here. He raised his hand, shoulder level, and then shrugging.

“You know what, whatever,” Changmin stated, opening the door of the vehicle. Swiftly he seated himself by the other side, head leaning against the rails of the window, eyes on to that side of the road. After a minute or so, intolerant, he glowered at the two girls, still waiting for probably years of famine before getting into his carriage.

“Well? Do I have to order you to get in?” he nearly shouted in annoyance, Yoona looking at her sister and feeling giddy. They couldn’t hide their laughter, because as soon as they got in, Yoona sitting opposite Seohyun, began chortling like a drunken man, jerkily making unnecessary moves Changmin had just seen coming from a woman. She was tapping on the chair, covering her eyes with her arm, her mouth wide open like an alligator.

“Yah! Quiet down, Yoona!” cried Changmin, moving away from her. Noticing that Seohyun was indeed better mannered than the unnie, he transferred to her side, and then scowling.

“Is she always like this?” Changmin wondered and Seohyun, shrugging off the unbiased side, shook her head.

“It’s hard for her to stop once she finds something very funny,” Seohyun answered.

Changmin scoffed, looking out of the window. “We’re not even leaving yet and you’re already enjoying yourself too much. Keep that mouth shut.” When she followed what was ordered, Yoona bit her lip sheepishly, repressing the joy as if she could and then afterwards shaking her head.

“I’m sorry,” Yoona apologized, Changmin crossing his arms and ignoring her. He gazed at the little window by the driver, furious.

“Are we going to leave or not? I’m wasting time here,” his voice loosened. The little man, more like a dwarf to the girls’ perspective, nodded, whispering his apologies to the majesty. At the sound of the whip, the hooves followed in command, the carriage being tugged along the deafening noise of galloping.

Satisfied that the Prince had moved to the opposite bench, Yoona raised her legs, stretched them across the seat, with her nape laid back by the armrest. She stared at the dumbfounded Changmin, eyes widened in shock, irritated, disgusted, nevertheless---above all other adjectives, he considered himself unlucky.

He rolled his eyes, clapping a hand to his forehead as he leaned against the window. Yoona just laughed.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” She asked, taking off her shoes and placing them under her bench.

Changmin sneered. “Even the Vikings would be.”

Before she could answer, a wide yawn came about, Yoona rubbing her eyes hastily. At the sight of this, Changmin’s heart softened---or maybe just that second perhaps, thinking how a 19-year-old seemed too young to be a queen. Even when it wasn’t anymore his business to question authority, it could be one of these days he would have to ask his father, the smartest person in Sangdokchi why he chose Yoona, even when he knew why in the first place.

“Are there Vikings in Korea, your majesty? Do they travel to this side of the world?” Yoona asked teasingly, knowing the answer to that.

“Unnie, Vikings no longer exist in this generation,” Seohyun replied, Yoona glowering at her sister.

Changmin’s smile never faded, patting Seohyun’s head. “You’re the smart one in the family, aren’t you?”

Seohyun shook her head sheepishly, shrugging. “Aigoo, that’s not...not really true.”

“Don’t believe him, Seohyun,” Yoona muttered, eyeing them. “He uses sweet talk to get you on his side. But you’ll never betray, unnie, right? You’ll always be by my side, right?”

The dongsaeng agreed. “That’s true because I love you, unnie!”

Yoona giggled, crossing to sit next to Seohyun and giving her a strong embrace. “I love you more, Seohyun-ah.”

“This is what you call sweet talk, right?” Seohyun asked her, Yoona realizing now what the princess did. Hastily after that question, she glowered at Seohyun, pinching her cheeks.

“Yah, stay too close to him and you’ll start acting like him,” Yoona warned. “He’s a bad influence.”

“What’s bad influence?” Changmin snarled at the princess. “You’re the one teaching the girl what sweet talk is. In her knowledge, I was only praising her.”

Even when the carriage was moving, Yoona, twisting her lips and holding Seohyun in her arms, transferred to her previous seat, so that they were together now, and the Sangdokchi Prince was alone across them, disgruntled and a bit faint with Yoona’s indecisive movements.

“Would you stay put, please?” he asked of her, holding the bridge of his nose to stop an incoming headache that was quickly climbing up to his brain. He shook his head once, as if that would work, and he had seen double of Yoona, eyeing him with a playful smile on her pretty face. Quickly he blinked; the vision still unstable until he reached the nth time of flapping his lids.

“Don’t move another bit!” he demanded as soon as he could properly see, Yoona seemingly planning to make matters worse by sitting next to him. She still did, really, bending the orders of the prince, and observing how he seemed to be tired.

“You didn’t sleep ‘quite good’, did you?” Yoona asked closely and more concerned now. She scrutinized the way how he hated chaos, how he seemed so very much grow up when he was in fact just twenty, going on twenty-one. She observed how his hand looked not so his age, the way the veins seemed to just pop out.

He remained quiet, an arm already covering his eyes as he pretended to sleep, ignoring the woman. Changmin noticed this at once, despite the strangeness and difference between them, Yoona instantly found out about his insomnia, the night croaked to him to be sleepless earlier---thinking of a woman who was crushed and against this wedding---his wedding with the princess of Byungmi.

“Now that I remember it,” Yoona started changing the conversation, “how is Krystal-ah?”

Changmin turned to her, astounded at her memory. Well, though most of the time Krystal was more famous than himself when it came to parties, he didn’t expect Yoona to be recognizing the younger dongsaeng. He frowned upon hearing the name.

“Still immature as ever,” he answered, gazing at the road. “Now that you opened that subject, she’s more like you.”

“Oh, really?” Yoona felt pleased with that remark that Changmin smirked, shaking his head and murmuring, ‘pathetic’. “Omo, Seohyun’s fallen asleep.”

Changmin’s eyes travelled to the other girl, hear head lowered with those angelic eyes closed---her hair partly covering the left side of her face. Knowing what an unnie would be doing, he sensed that Yoona was going to stand up again---that bothering movement of her going back and forth was still nauseatingly fresh in his mind.

The time she got up, Changmin’s hands were very quick on her wrists, pulling her down and if coincidences weren’t moment killers, the carriage passed by huge blocks of rock, causing little Yoona’s bum to touch Changmin’s lap, her head bumping the ceiling so she squeaked an ouch.

Still complaining about the infliction, Yoona, rubbing her head restlessly, hadn’t notice where she was staying, or perhaps the fact that Changmin was holding on to her arm very tightly, in case she fell to the ground this time. His eyes had widened in shock, staring at her back, how her body just curved down perfectly in her pallid dress, the way even her back seemed gorgeous. Getting a hold of himself, and that red line running midway his face, Changmin shook his head in disapproval, shoving the girl to his side as he tried overcoming the tension. Slightly peeved, Yoona glared at her seatmate, still clueless of what happened to the two of them. Well, as someone with the most pride, and as someone being born a man, Changmin did his best to avoid looking at her again, head, supported by his arm, somewhat facing the window. Whatever happened, in no other possible way would he be entertaining her again.

“Seohyun’s a heavy sleeper,” she commented, seeing that the other woman just raised her own legs and lay properly now on her seat. “Guess I have to sit next to you until she wakes up.”

“You can sit by the wheel if you want,” Changmin retorted, trying to blow the blush out of his face before Yoona suspected anything.

It wasn’t that he liked her. No, that was absolutely out of the question, out of the picture---impossibly not the reason for the blood to stick on his face. There were other reasons, possibly. He was twenty, and twenty was quite significant to others. Perhaps some were already happily jumping from one girlfriend to another, but Changmin, as the highly respected prince, learned to keep his feelings calm and relaxed.

Yet for the first time, and hopefully just this time, he felt very agitated having Yoona so close to him. It was a good thing that they weren’t to stay in one room until the wedding.


	4. Rusty Lock

“The dress is gorgeous.”

Biting her lips, and hearing that comment coming from the man, she was more than thrilled to know that their plan might actually work out.

“Really?”

His hand was cupping his chin, nodding pleasantly with a scowl and a little uninterested over this dress-up games his best friend was doing. On the other hand, someone else, his dear cousin, found this moment in his life very enchanting.

Her brown eyes instantly shimmered, as if the hopes of a bright tomorrow would arrive if she flaunted off her shoulders in the strapless gown, the trimming laced down with simple yet elegant cloth. There was that sudden glow in her, something that he hadn’t seen from her ever before---even when he had been treating Victoria like a woman now than a little sister, like what her Kyuhyun-oppa had been doing ever since they’ve known each other.

He smiled, arms crossed, as Victoria turned clockwise. “You look perfect, Victoria,” he commented, and the girl, knowing that whatever it was that Nichkhun said was bound to be sincere, blushed and bowed her head in thanks.

“Don’t flatter the witch,” Kyuhyun snapped, laughing when Qian slapped his shoulder for being tactless. Nichkhun hid his smile from the two. When Kyuhyun teased, Victoria would attack back, more on physicality because she knew Kyuhyun couldn’t dare hit a girl. That fight would continue until someone, that particular someone being Victoria, lose, meaning fed up with the games and they would sit on the floor, ignoring the enemy.

Now Victoria, uncaring of her outfit, sat on the floor as Kyuhyun kept laughing. “Pig Qian!”

“Yah! I’m not going,” Victoria retorted, getting up and walking out on the cousins, Nichkhun concernedly following her but was stopped by Kyuhyun, who grabbed his shoulder.

“Did you see that?” Kyuhyun asked, still breathless from laughing. “She explodes so fast. I can’t believe this girl.”

Nichkhun glowered at him, putting Kyuhyun’s hand down. “I don’t know if your brain’s still working, but I’m siding Victoria this time. I don’t plan to attend the reception ceremonies anymore.”

Kyuhyun frowned, rolling his eyes. “Since when did you ever side with me? You always vote Victoria over me, remember?”

Guilty that he wasn’t giving Kyuhyun any importance, he sighed.

“Fine, I’ll go if Qian goes,” Khun muttered. “No wonder you don’t have any siblings.”

“Do you have one? Think again, we just have each other,” Kyuhyun answered sharply, irritated. “Unfortunately, if my parents never died, I wouldn’t even be stuck staying with you and your family. If my parents didn’t die, I wouldn’t have to work at all. I didn’t have to worry about you or being with Victoria.”

“You tell me then,” his cousin snapped. “You were the worst of paupers. Your mother couldn’t take care of a bastard like you that’s why she had given you up to my mom. You weren’t a prince in the first place. So why bother, Kyuhyun.”

“And how would you know? You weren’t even part of this family, I suppose. You were adopted by uncle, correct?” he asked furiously, Kyuhyun holding out his necklace, the ring dangling on it. A small smirk came to his lips when his cousin had fallen quiet. “This ring is our ticket in getting into that reception, mind you. I could always tell them I’m from Byungmi, and a visitor requested by the next queen herself. And since the princess is coming from Byungmi, she could know what this ring means and tell me more about my past that you have hidden to me.”

He simply scoffed, moving passed Kyuhyun and following Victoria hurriedly to her room to comfort her from the teasing and maybe still convince her to join them. If only Kyuhyun knew about the ring, the whole truth behind its real power, yet if he did, Nichkhun assumed the boy would arrogantly impose it into every unfortunate mind in Sangdokchi.

How did Nichkhun know? His parents did tell him what it meant. Yet, it wasn’t his parent’s fault in the least when they realized that together on their journey to Sangdokchi that night 18 years ago was actually the next heir to Byungmi. If Kyuhyun knew about it, he would never be the same again---would never even dare hang out with him and Victoria right now. In that sense, royalty would be stuck in his head for the rest of his life.

That was why this secret was never told to him.

“Victoria? It’s me, Khun.” He helplessly knocked on her door, anticipating from her the sobbing and such emotional things. “Open up for me, please?”

Unexpectedly, unlike the last time that Qian actually opened the door to the cousins, she wiped her tears first before facing him. “He’s so mean. Are you sure you’re related?”

Nichkhun shrugged, putting an arm over the woman’s shoulders. “Come here.”

The brown-haired hugged him tightly back, crying on his shoulder. “I don’t even know what I’m going to do. He’s always...so assertive. I know I should get used to it but he...he has just gone too far, really.”

Comforting, he sat with her, putting her gown aside as he stretched, an arm still over the girl. “You know what Victoria, I’m not going to the ball if you’re not.”

“What?” she sounded surprise, eyes big at him. “But...but he’d be disappointed.”

“So?” he chuckled. “Let him be disappointed, I really don’t give a damn.”

She smiled, embracing her warmly. “I’ll be going to the ball, Nichkhun. All three of us. I forgive that man for calling me a pig anyway.”

“So let’s go back and start fitting in those clothes, ne?”

-_-

“Your majesties, we have arrived to Sangdokchi.”

In recognition of the name, the man stirred awake first, unsteady vision always blurred his eyesight. Sighing and moving his arms, he found himself a bit heavy and numb, somewhere lower perhaps. He didn’t know what position he got himself into now for the whole journey until he rubbed his eyes, nearly jolting after gazing below. Another blush came across his face, heated to see the young princess sleeping on his lap. Not a second later, she moved her legs, turning to the side that she almost fell if not for Changmin’s quick reaction. He pulled her up, other arm although trembling was holding her head. He was hesitant in placing her back to his lap, because surely, when she woke up, she would squirm away, an advantage to what he thinks should be what he should feel.

Changmin’s mind swirled at the thoughts running through his head. Finally decided, he cleared his throat.

“Princess, we’ve arrived in Sangdokchi.”

If it weren’t for the fact that she had stayed up so late at night or the fact that she was still tired, she might have bolted up away in excitement, but Yoona didn’t, and Seohyun did, steadily sitting upright that she brushed her eyes, yawning still.

“We have?” she asked, her tone almost as sad. He didn’t know how to react, simply remembering that Seohyun was blind now, therefore this first time experience would no longer be that significant since she wouldn’t be able to see the kingdom he would soon rule. He remained quiet, cleared his throat, and looked at Seohyun squarely.

“Can you wake up your sister?” he asked of the younger princess, and Seohyun, at lost, had her eyebrows curled at the question.

“She has fallen asleep?” Seohyun clapped her hands gradually. “Talking to her doesn’t work. So it’s best you tickle her.”

“Ti...tickle her?” Insane---that was what it was. Changmin was wondering if the sister had any idea where Yoona was and thankful enough that she had no clue whatsoever about the situation they were stuck in. Tickle her, what else was next, kiss the sleeping beauty awake?

The dongsaeng nodded. “If she’s fallen asleep, she doesn’t wake up that fast but tickling her sides always worked.”

Changmin gulped, feeling his thighs go numb in the poorly lit carriage that the only solution he could do was actually push the princess off his lap. Yet at this consequence, Seohyun would suspect and Seohyun would report immediately to her father, thus the deal would be cut off and he had to search for another queen and he would be scolded---the risks just lasted longer than he thought so he shook his head, sighing gravely as though his life depended upon it.

“Yah! Wake up,” he didn’t listen to Seohyun, simply tugging the woman’s shoulders here and there until Yoon’s eyes tightened, arms flapping in total defense that Changmin moved back, expecting her to stir just as quick.

Both of his hands were holding onto her; one shaking her shoulder while the other one blocked her body by her arm, in case she moved again and she would resort to getting away.

Suspecting that she was bound to wake up, Changmin hastily let go, until that moment that Yoona’s eyelids flapped open, gazing at the man, she had slept upon. Changmin shyly looked outside, thankful that the resounding blush didn’t appear this time and before he knew it, taking the chances of being cleared, he stared back again, only to find that Yoona was still on his lap, looking at his face.

“Did I fall...asleep?” she asked slowly, unable to travel back from her dream. Changmin continued looking at her, while she, being dazed and still pensive, returned this until she blinked, the prince knowing what reaction followed this.

“Omo!”

Yoona staggered in sitting upright, her quirky moves of being disturbed made Changmin smirk, hiding it with his fist. He chuckled a little, eyes on the outside and on the bystanders selling their fishes for dinner. Sunset was wailing in behalf of the ocean splashing upon the port.

“What...what are you laughing at?” Yoona fussed, infuriated that someone found out about that. She turned her back on the man, holding her cheeks that were soulfully heating up just as quick. Yoona fanned herself with her hands, bit her lips in anxiety and then, frowned at the way Changmin seemed so very sure of what he saw. Now she knew, all the way to the palace, the teasing would never end---just like when they were younger.

“You will starve,” Changmin added, laughing when Yoona gritted her teeth noisily and faced the prince.

She held her finger out, a sigh also released. “You...that was nothing! I fell asleep, what makes you think waking up and staring at the nearest thing is love? Huh? You...you know nothing about love.”

He halted at this statement. “It was pretty obvious. Why are you so defensive?”

“Because I don’t want you to think of the wrong idea,” Yoona replied furiously. “I’m more stable than you think I am. So let’s forget it.”

“That’s great hearing from a girl,” Changmin countered. “My teachers told me that the female population produces more hormones, the reason why they easily feel attracted towards the opposite sex.”

Yoona scoffed, smiling in mockery. “You men are the vainer ones, really. Have you ever considered the fact that most sexual abuses are done by men? There is some truth to that, but simply stimulated hormones are not even thought as love. They’re referred to as lust.”

“But love itself is a hormone. Have you been skipping your human body studies?’ he answered confidently, making Seohyun also wonder the truth behind the topic.

“No, love is an emotion,” Yoona fearfully replied. “Sa-rang. Love, it’s the most beautiful emotion of all.”

“Emotion is also driven by hormones, thus is never considered to be reliable.”

God damn it, he was a fucking smart ass, Yoona thought irately. Seohyun smiled to herself, her head lowered and mouth shut to show her respect, understanding that of course, Yoona, having her smooth image exposed, didn’t need another person to tell her mistake. Even when she couldn’t see, with the continuous argument, Seohyun had a vivid idea about how exactly the two looked.

-_-

Her fingers were trembling in excitement, stepping upon the first time to the palace of another world, of another kingdom she and Seohyun her dearest sister had never been to. The skies appeared closer, the fact that it was nighttime perhaps but Yoona cared less---the stars shone bright as nothing she had seen back in Byungmi. Though dark, the stars still sparkled, and even the moon drew somewhat near to the earth, bright pureness despite how much it indicated longing and depression.

Longing and depression, why was it the only emotion he seemed to feel after coming back? Why would his emotions even matter now in the first place? He should, and with all his might do so, put it all in the past, understanding that this Saturday would be the fate of it.

The King also got off his carriage, as the merry blow of trumpets greeted the guests into the kingdom, Changmin’s smug expression remained when Yoona looked at him, his arms crossed.

“It’s not...too bad,” she admitted to the prince, which made him laugh. An exotic kind of laughter, Yoona decided, her jealous attention disappearing and focusing on the man as he continued, calming down a few seconds soon, but a smile lingered.

Changmin bit his lower lip before replying. “It’s practically better than your greeting.”

She stuck her tongue, Changmin glaring. “Let’s go in, Seohyun.”

Again, still uptight, Yoona gripped Seohyun fingers, as they proudly passed through the large staircase after their father the King, with Changmin walking from behind the excitement, somewhat in the shadows until the first person showed up to greet them who was none other than his own sister, the princess Krystal.

Being respectful, this dongsaeng bowed at the King with a smile, hurdling downward to Changmin. She was still 15, yet for such an age, that body of hers evidently belonged to a real woman. The King entered nonchalantly, as his name was mentioned by his dear friend, Changmin’s own father.

Krystal’s pace eventually slowed down, noticing that her oppa had brought in company, The princess, unable to recognize the new people arriving at this time of night, halted, her shoes stopping at own accordance, while her eyes gazed from one princess to the other.

“Who are they?” She approached Changmin the fastest, holding her palm out and pointing in that direction, even though the trick and her voice were obvious to the visitors.

Changmin’s eyebrows cocked upward, looking at Yoona and Seohyun bow at Krystal in respect. “Ask them.”

Krystal’s eyes, that were much like Yoona’s own doe ones, watched at both, understanding quickly that Seohyun was unable to see and that Yoona, based upon the sash that she wore by her waist, came from Byungmi, the town nearest to Sangdokchi in means of road.

They started their way up to the entrance, where his majesty and her highness waited for the return of the future queen. Although they weren’t steep, Yoona still guided Seohyun up, in case she had forgotten the fact this wasn’t any more like the palace they lived in.

“Oppa, are they from Byungmi?” Krystal whispered, following Changmin up the staircase. He nodded, putting a finger to his lips as he patted the little child’s head.

“But what are they doing here?” she asked again, Yoona and Seohyun just hearing their conversation behind, Krystal still tugging along the prince’s sleeves.

Changmin’s eyes pierced to her sister’s, their lips both twisting in irritation. “I said keep quiet.”

“But I asked a question,” Krystal defended. “Questions are meant to be answered.”

“Yes, Krystal-ah,” Yoona answered coolly, hearing their conversation. Changmin’s eyes followed the woman’s as she smiled at the dongsaeng. “We are from Byungmi. And we’re here to---”

“Yah!’ Changmin’s voice, that appeal of authority, shot like a storm, strong as thunder and quick as lightening. “Who told you to answer her? Keep quiet.”

Yoona shrugged, eyes apologizing to Krystal. “Your oppa doesn’t want you to know yet why we’re here. It’s going to be a surprise. And in my place, I bet I have no right to actually tell you the secret.”

She crossed her arms, sighing as she trailed the others from behind. “Everyone thinks I know nothing.”

-_-

“I really wanted to see the princess,” Victoria whined over dinner, unable to lift the spoon from her soup. “I wonder if she’s as pretty as Princess Krystal. Those who actually saw her said so, even prettier, they said.”

Kyuhyun waved his spoon in front of her. “If you hadn’t been acting so sulky, I bet we could have gone and taken a look at her ourselves.”

“Don’t talk when your mouth is full,” Nichkhun ordered him, Kyuhyun frowning and focusing more on his food.

He turned to Victoria, a smile on his face. ”Do you want to sneak in to the docks and his majesties ships tonight? Donghae-hyung told me the paths to it.”

A wide grin brightened up Qian’s apathetic state and brought color back into her eyes.

Kyuhyun spitted his food out, shocked at what his hyung had in store. “Wow, are you kidding me?”

Nichkhun shook his head. “Of course not. You want to come with us? You know, just sneak in and see what the captain’s doing?”

“It’s night time,” Kyuhyun complained, totally thinking that this was again out of hand. “It’s dark, anything could happen in the streets.”

“What are you 10 years old?” Nichkhun teased, laughing afterwards. “Yah, aren’t you the one who’s always out on adventures and hates me for being careful? Now, that’ll cheer up our Qian, right?” He looked at Victoria, nodding her head vigorously and getting up from her seat.

The night called on to him, moon looking far larger than usual. The streets were hardly lit, horses racing behind after him; his running...it was breathy, clumsy and tensed. He could hear himself so loudly, the way he just panted, men in uniforms chasing after him, as he ventured from alley to alley, dirty street to another, but what was weird was that the streets were familiar to him, dreadfully not like Sangdokchi though.

_“Come on!” the girl ahead shouted at him, still a sly smile on her face despite the chase, and afterwards to his side he saw his dear cousin also racing for his life._

_“This way,” he whispered intensely, turning to the side, to a darker area._

_“What do they want with my ring?” He grappled to get the words out, breathing hastily to freedom as the men passed by them with ease, unable to suspect that the little children were already in hiding._

_In relief, Victoria giggled, sitting on the ground in exhaustion. “We should never attempt on leaving the village ever again without permission.”_

_“But...but they recognized my ring,” Kyuhyun mumbled swiftly. “They must be people from Byungmi. We shouldn’t have run away from them. They could tell me about my parents in Byungmi since uncle won’t do it.”_

_In return for he knew all of what was behind it, Nichkhun shook his head. “Well, fucking genius. If we hadn’t run, you know where we are by now? In prison for trespassing on Baekham Bridge.”_

_“Yes, Kyuhyunnie,” Victoria also collected her thoughts, catching her breath. “Maybe there is nothing there in Byungmi that’s why your uncle and aunt and Khun left the village. That’s why ahjusshi won’t tell what happened there.”_

_“We are just a few inches away from Byungmi,” Kyuhyun said tiredly, slapping his knees. “We could have made it in. We could’ve...we could’ve seen the village. If those guards recognized my ring, then...then it’s possible that anyone else in that village could.”_

_“What would a 12-year-old boy from Sangdokchi be doing in Byungmi except for trespassing?” Nichkhun countered back. “You know what, I’m tired. Let’s...let’s just go home. It’s practically 10 and mom’s worried and Qian’s own mom would be angry.”_

_“We’re never going to Byungmi until we’re old enough to actually afford a horse and go there,” Nichkhun added still, the other two quiet._

_Kyuhyun’s spirit was crushed by the whole universe._

“Kyuhyun-oppa’s scared,” Victoria added the tension. He couldn’t have his precious pride scarred by a girl, and such an annoying one she was.

Kyuhyun frowned as he stood along with her. “You win.”

“Nichkhun-ah! Are you coming?” Victoria wondered, turning her back and getting her coat on. “Let’s go! Let’s go now!”

It made him happy, that cheerful pureness and vibes Victoria had in her so naturally. It wasn’t like anyone else’s, but that could only apply because he knew only a few girls in the village. Moreover, Victoria, being like an adopted sister of theirs, felt far more than just family to him, like how much her happiness could infect him differently with Kyuhyun’s own.

“Mom, we’re leaving!” he shouted, Qian clapping and Kyuhyun rolling his eyes. “Out to play for a while.”

His mother busied herself in the kitchen, washed the dishes like every night, and returned Khun’s permission with an, “Okay, dear!”

-_-

“We must get the guest’s list running!” his voice echoed in the great hall, the servants scurrying from here to there, while he just sat in the middle, giving advices and such. “There should be pinches of the color sapphire in the dress code. Such shade will not be allowed to attend the wedding. Yah, why are you standing there? Get a move on!”

He wasn’t the only who demanded. Beside him was his lovely queen, along with his good old friend the King of Byungmi also trying to make the decisions for the upcoming event that united two of the most famous kingdoms in Korea.

She walked towards him innocently; unaware of what was going on. Her eyes, shaped differently from Changmin’s, blinked multiple times, approaching her dear parents with a questioning look. The queen noticed the princess first, smiling at the girl.

“Krystal-ah,” she opened her arms to her maknae. “What is it, dear?”

Krystal’s lips twisted in contempt. “Umma, why do we have visitors in the palace?”

She held on both of Krystal’s arms, grinning. “We will be a bigger family now.”

“Why?” Krystal sounded surprised, irritated at the thought of a bigger family. “I don’t understand. Why are you always answering me vaguely? It’s unfair. Changmin-oppa gets to know and I don’t.”

The King stared at her happily, stroking her hair. “Krystal-ah, the two princesses will be part of the family now. They will be living in here. They will be your sisters.”

“What? But why?” Krystal’s aggravation showed more and more as she spoke. “Oppa will get two more sisters? He can’t...he can’t have two more sisters. I should only be the princess in Sangdokchi. It’s written in the code.”

His highness shook his head. “Sister’s not the term. Seohyun-ah, the younger princess won’t stay here too long. Yoona-sshi is special though. She gets to be queen of Sangdokchi.”

“I am the next queen of Sangdokhi!” she shrieked angrily. “I am and no one else. I’m the princess in this kingdom. It’s my obligation to take his highness’s place if only at the matters of having Changmin-oppa dead. I read the laws, appa. I should be queen, if I’m not mistaken!”

“A queen must not have that kind of temper,” reprimanded her mother, glaring. Krystal was silent at once, kneeling before her mother to say her apologies. Afterwards she stood up more calmly, but her face remained annoyed as a minute ago. “Yoona is marrying your oppa. Understand, Krystal-ah?”

Eyes widening in astonishment, Krystal gaped at the revelation. “Oppa...oppa...Changmin-oppa?”

Both of her parents nodded. She sighed, trying to keep her emotions quickly. “Changmin-oppa’s...wife? Does he love her?”

The queen held on to her husband’s arm, putting her head on his shoulder as if answering Krystal’s question. “Love is something you learn and acquire. Much like a skill, if you know what I mean. If they do not love each other, that’s for them to solve, not anymore ours. We can’t break the prophecy, now that war’s fast approaching.”

“Prophecy?” she snickered at the word so naively. “What in purple mushrooms is that?”

“This is something only the old council knows about,” continued her mother, shaking her head. “In the prophecy, because of the fact that Byungmi and Sangdokchi were separated, the only thing that keeps us together are probably our fate, languages and culture. If war, according to prophecy, strikes our country, we have nothing to do but put the next generations together as the next ruler, helping each other for the future.”

“But still, if I were the first born, I would have married Yoona? Is that what the prophecy wants?”

The queen shook her head, laughing at her observation. “This marriage wasn’t just an ordinary arranged marriage, darling. We were given a son for our first-born and Byungmi had a daughter. It was destiny. But your oppa and Yoona-unnie doesn’t know. You can’t tell that to them, okay? It’s our secret. So go on and call the others for our dinner. We need everyone at the dining hall in a few minutes, understand?”

“I don’t have to follow the prophecy anymore, correct?” she asked, smiling a little. “Since I am the younger one, right?”

The King shook his head. “You still have an obligation to your nation so you must not abandon it for the sake of whatever it is that you want, understand?”

She pouted. “All right.”  Bowing her head, she hurriedly left her family and paced up the staircase. Instead of turning west wing where her bedroom was settled in, she switched directions to the east, heading for the first chamber.

A swift knock was heard, Krystal excited to spill the beans at once. The door opened, her own tall oppa wearing his reading glasses, stood by, frowning at Krystal.

“What?”

“Oppa, oppa! Do you know about the prophecy?”

Slightly amused that he didn’t, he shook his head, somewhat mortified that his dongsaeng knew something that he didn’t.


	5. Friends in Enemies

_“Are you in love with someone right now?” The king asked him in the most frightening voice he had ever heard, and yes, when his father used that tone, it meant seriousness and a need for hot brewed coffee in the middle of a wintry January night._

_Changmin, his eyes reflecting his father’s own, looked up from his book and took off his glasses, wondering what it would be now that had gotten his father so interested in his love affairs. Of course, he was, that was what his heart had wanted to shout, but his mouth didn’t listen. Instead, he planned to keep it until the war ended. He planned not to spill just yet, about the girl he was madly with for the past few months._

_Although she was a friend of the royals, she was not of royal blood. She was not a princess. Yet, this prince did not care if she was anything but a pauper or a street vendor. He cared less of what she was, because still, she was raised in Europe by her parents, educated with the highest possible education everyone else was getting and that was impressive for a mere upper class woman in Sangdokchi._

_And his parents, the King and Queen of Sangdokchi knew her of course. Yet, it was not yet the right time to confess it._

_He shook his head with a smile. “No, Father. Why’d you ask?”_

_He cleared his throat to indicate trouble to Changmin’s ears. To his surprise, his own father, the King, had been smiling. “Son, do you know Byungmi?”_

_“Yes,” he answered. Well, obviously. Who wouldn’t know Byungmi? It was their neighbor, their sister village where they exchange products in order for more productive sales and rise in economical stature. Other than their forestry and domestication, Byungmi was another hopeless village like theirs._

_The King sighed. “You’ve been to Byungmi once, correct?”_

_“Yes,” Changmin replied honestly, trying to recall. “Thrice. Two of which was to attend the princess’s birthday party and the other one was to engage their King to visit our port lands. Why?”_

_“It has been said that we are to share whatever pain with Byungmi,” the king opened. “Now that war is fast approaching, I’m afraid your coronation as the incumbent ruler would be delayed. But, not to fret for the old council has solutions to this.”_

_“Oh? How?” the prince wondered in shock._

_“Yoona,” he said and Changmin seemed to have connected his father’s thoughts with his._

_He nodded. “I understand.”_

It was yet another ordinary day for him. No, it didn’t bother him at all that he was going to marry a woman he just met three days ago. It didn’t bother him about the secret, which was bound to be true, revealed to him by his dear sister Krystal. Who knows what lies she had been creating recently. That too, and it didn’t bother him at all that someone, just outside his quarters was a woman who waited. Waited for an explanation, a convincing response. Waited for everything from his lies to reality.

It was seven in the morning. The official ceremony started in an hour.

Thank goodness, they didn’t have to wear hanboks like the days of his parents. He glanced at the mirror, approved of his dashing neat look in the white suit that looked like Beethoven’s, and slowly turned the knob, already suspecting that she was waiting for him.

She smiled cockily at one glance, then turned her attention to the right. “That’s pleasing.”

“You think so?” Changmin wondered, a smile on his face.

“Of course not,” she retorted, slapping his cheek lightly. “Wake up and smell reality, Prince Charming, okay?”

He chuckled. “Do you enjoy sarcasm that much, Sooyoung-ah?”

She shrugged, twirling in her beige dress and light black shoes. “Do you like the new princess? How is she? I haven’t really laid eyes on her since I couldn’t come over for the past three days. Is she really that gorgeous as your mother brags about when I arrived?”

Changmin tried focusing on what she was trying to convey. In Sooyoung’s terms, sarcasm talk and truth had a thin line in between them so it was harder to tell which was which, which one was it that spoke her real intentions.

“Should we sit this out in the library?” Changmin stopped, smiling as he gestured to his right.

Sooyoung, rolling her eyes, sighed irately. “You know how it vexes me staying in the library. You read while I stay there watching you read. It’s not as interesting as you think it is, really.”

He shook his head, gradually holding her right hand. “No, we will talk instead of reading.”

Sooyoung looked at their interlinked hands and realized he was referring to business. Timidly, as her head was down, she pulled her hand away from Changmin, twitching her lips sadly.

“Don’t,” she warned when he tried again. Her voice, her whole personality, seemed to change to a different perspective from her bubbly self. It was unfair, to Changmin that Sooyoung was the only one who seemed to be moving on from the yesterday both of them were casted in. It was unfair, to Sooyoung that Changmin was the prince, the only man she seemed to have been madly in love with, now marrying someone he hardly knew.

“Sooyoung...” Changmin called when the girl started walking away. She stopped at the orders of someone more powerful than she was. “You know the story behind it. You know why and how it all happened. You know that’s why you didn’t come these past few days. You know everything. So now it’s my turn to ask.”

With a heavy heart, she faced him, frowning in worry. “You think this is easy? I cannot, Changmin. I can’t just hold back how I feel so easily. I cannot repress the emotions that much and I’m only able to today because it is your wedding. I’m having a hard time, if you must know. I’m having a hard time coping. I don’t know how...how I should let you go or how I should be falling in love. It’s difficult. But you....” she looked at him with sympathy. “You make it look easy that I’m...challenged to do better with keeping my heart steady or else I’ll fail you. I don’t want to fail you. I’ll try my hardest to forget it.”

Changmin smiled, putting his arms around her tightly. She didn’t push back, which was a very good sign to the prince. “It’s strange to see you confess. But I like it. Keep it up.” He kissed the side of her head, Sooyoung seizing his arms closely, her eyes almost teary from the drama she had to overcome.

“Do you love me, my prince?” Sooyoung asked tensely, Changmin letting go to stare at her dazzling eyes.

He chuckled, patting her head. “There would not be a day that I don’t think of you. There would be not a single day that I don’t miss you. There would not be a day that I don’t dream about kissing you.”

Sooyoung hastily planted a smack on his kiss before replying. “Last. There would be no next time for that.”

Changmin agreed sadly. “I know. I’m sorry...for keeping you by my side and making you believe a love that wasn’t even real.”

“That’s all right,” she answered. “I’m the stupid one.”

“I’m getting married in an hour,” Changmin added. “But you know this is not something I want. Just after the war, Sooyoung. After the war, we can be...together. Krystal can rule over Sangdokchi. I don’t care. We will run away, away from this nation if possible and hide. We don’t have to face this.”

Sooyoung laughed at his promise. “That’s about a millionth time. I get it. And I’ll wait for it.”

-_-_-_-

“Just after the war?” Seohyun asked, still surprised with the attitude her sister was showing. Because Yoona, though defiantly, obeyed her father’s orders, it struck her like a hurricane, farther stronger even.

Yoona nodded while scowling. “You know, other women smile on days as important as this. With Changmin, it’s absolutely impossible to smile. I don’t even understand the man and now I’m marrying him. I’m sure, after the war, this marriage would be over. Father would agree to free me. He would know I would want to go back and stay in Byungmi. After the war, Changmin and I will be separated. And I don’t have to stay in Sangdokchi.”

“Unnie, do you know how childish you sound like right now?” Seohyun cleared, and Yoon shook her head. “Do you not understand the conditions? You’re being selfish again, and that’s not the point. Changmin-oppa’s being kind to you, welcoming you, and helping you protect our village. It’s for all of us remember. It’s not about you.”

“Then when will it be for me? When will it be about me?” Yoona snapped back, looking at outside the window to see so many people attending. They were at the back of the altar, sheltered from the eyes of those who criticized her or abhorred her of some sort, for someone being out of the village. “It’s never about me. It’s slavery instead of kingship, really. Am I making sense to you Seohyun-ah? Or do I still sound selfish?”

Seohyun pursed her lips, lowering her head. “I apologize for talking back, your majesty.”

Yoona managed to laugh at her sister, the way her formality always became first amongst others. “Seohyun, you’re such a darling. Do you know how lucky your husband will be?”

“He’s quite lucky indeed, that old bastard,” Seohyun replied, giggling. “He’s going to watch over me every step of the way. And that’s very tiring.”

“Oh dear,” Yoona exclaimed. “You’ve been infected by Changmin’s way of talking. When have you learned to speak like that?”

“Ever since I learned to,” she quickly remarked, both of the princesses chortling at this.

Yoona gracefully stood up, her long flowing wedding dress cascaded down with pixie dusts appearing and reappearing like magic. She hastily attached the veil to her crown, before grinning at her sister, tightly holding her hands.

“I will make the most of this marriage,” she told the princess. “I will do it for my people and for everyone else, most especially to you. I know I can make it magical, even when love is nonexistent.”

“Unnie,” Seohyun quietly interrupted. “Love exists. You two just can’t seem to find it yet.”

“Yet,” Yoona added the emphasis, both of their hands linked as they walked down the pillars and to the opening doors. Everyone was already waiting outside, ready to lay their eyes on the gorgeous angel set to rule their kingdom, an angel from another world, from a heaven they weren’t much familiar with.

“There would be no ‘yet’s’ in this marriage,” she whispered, before being instructed to hold the bouquet in her arms. Seohyun was ushered to her seat by the front, leaving Yoona and the red aisle all to herself, anxiety rising up to her gradually. There was that slight tinge of hatred and nervousness welling up, but also, when she spotted the hungry children at the side, rubbing their mouths from the dirty food they must’ve just eaten, her heart softened. Somewhere in Byungmi, her own people were suffering the same kind of coldness as the winter season bleached.

Little by little, the guards had opened the doors to the rear end of the chapel, and Yoona, preparing for her greatest performance yet, held on to a small smile, eyes slowly squinting to show much of her innocent youth. At the end of aisle waited a dreadfully pretentious Changmin, his hands shoved behind his back, eyes on her as though scrutinizing the woman now he would sleep with that very night. It drove her mad inside, but of course, to show that kind of impulse would be awful on her image and to the people of Byungmi. Best to show the best side, the good side that everyone else was expecting from the soon-to-be queen of the kingdom.

Upon reaching the end of her track, she saw Changmin smile widely. It made her uneasy, nudging his arm.

“Oi,” Yoona called his attention, and he turned to her, still giddy that he covered his mouth with his hand.

“Aigoo...” he mumbled. “You look a little human today. That’s all. I was shocked.”

She smiled. “You too. That surprises me because you always look worse.”

They both faced the altar, the priest and God, as the bell rung and that was a good sign that the ceremony would begin. Binding two nations into one strong force----sometimes even the elders didn’t think it would be easy to persuade their descendants, Yoona and Changmin, both stubborn in their own little way.

-_-_-_-

“Are you ready?”

“Would we be hated for ruining the Prince’s wedding?” she asked him, concerned more of the aftershocks what they were planning may cause. He eyed her almost irately, as if not used to her thinking twice about a certain adrenaline task they were about to do.

Kyuhyun shook his head. “What do we look like, outcasts?”

“After this, I believe we will be,” Victoria reasoned out, looking at herself in the mirror. She appreciated how beautiful the gown was made, the silky smoothness of it, how new it was---after all, she made it herself two days before. Kyuhyun looked dashing in those clothes, very prince-like in something she made.

Kyuhyun scoffed, clicking his tongue. “Now, Qian. That’s quite impossible, you see.” He once again shoved in front of the mirror his most amazing ring, the key to tonight’s event, the key to his sole unsaid past.

She rolled her eyes. “Not the ring again. Oppa, we’re not even sure if the princess would recognize it. I’m still scared. We’ll be thrown to prison if we would be caught.”

“It’s foolproof enough,” Nichkhun insisted, siding Kyuhyun. Their knuckles touched, laughing afterwards in agreement.

“Just wear your mask,” Kyuhyun demanded. He too wore his now, all three of them with hidden charms under the masks. “We’re just there to attend the feast. After that, we fly back home.”

“Fly is such a funny term,” Qian snorted while giggling, unable to control it as she stared at the boys. “I can imagine us riding broomsticks. It’s just...too funny.”

Nichkhun smiled at her thoughts. “You’re the funny one, Victoria. Now, will we attend the wedding or not? I’m getting excited.”

Kyuhyun nodded before inhaling deeply. “We have backup plans in case we get caught, so there is nothing to worry about. Okay, Qian?”

“Oh?” she looked surprised. “I haven’t read that part of the plans yet. Do tell me.”

“Along the way,” Kyuhyun gazed above, seeing the sun already exactly above their heads. The heat was slowly terminating the crowd also parading in the middle of the streets, even at this side of town. Clowns, balloons and all sorts of tricks were being displayed, and this kind of jam would delay their invitation.

“We haven’t got much time to the chapel, though. And I think the ceremonies are done. So we’re taking a short cut to the reception at once,” Kyuhyun held onto both his hyung and Victoria’s arms, and they plunged into the mammoth audience.

-_-_-_-

“This ribbon holds the story of two individuals, out to protect, out to fulfill their duties as the next rulers of Sangdokchi, of our world. With the exchange of rings, it upholds unity and oneness of the previously divided nations,” the priest announced. His eyes travelled to Yoona, besides holding Changmin’s hands into hers, who looked weary herself from standing for three hours. Changmin gazed at her, her trembling fingers under his large ones, so frail and delicate by the touch. He knew she was anxious of finishing the ceremony, the wedding. She seemed restless already, Changmin noticed. And that had worried him if she fainted, because everyone else would watch, and they would be laughed at. She had better not do such thing.

“You, dear child of Byungmi, raised by the spirits Ara, would now be the next queen of our kingdom,” he told her, Yoona nodding. “You will protect it, with all of your heart, and show much grace for your husband, the next King. You will love him as much as you love the nation and your own nation. You will show the right manners and etiquette a queen must project.”

“Yes, I will.” Yoona’s head seemed automatic, for her eyes were emotionless. The priest turned to Changmin already, his eyes glancing at Yoona who sighed after her exposure. He managed to let out a smile because of this.

“And you, son of Sangdokchi, the heir of Baro to the world of kingship and manhood, would be soon crowned as the next King. You will show respect to your kingdom and to her kingdom as well, and love your wife, the next queen. You will love her, even when this is against your will. Even when you are just forced to love someone you’ve barely known. But this is for the betterment of our nation. And you will do even greater sacrifices in the future.”

Sacrifices. His eyes, shooting straight to Yoona’s back, where the rest of his family were staying, spotted Sooyoung, grinning in excitement for his answer. Or that was what she just showed in front of his parents. Deep inside, she detested the next line, the way he seemed to just crush her heart so easily. He didn’t want to, of course not. He just wanted to run with her, throw his ring in the air, and disappear from the face of the whole world.

At that split second, his eyes looked at Yoona, her agitated fingers still holding him, her exasperation and impatience, led him to no other choice but complete the mission as though it didn’t kill him.

“Yes, I will.”

“A kiss will be a symbol of your agreement for the deal cannot be sealed without it,” the priest stated, Yoona’s eyes widening in surprise that she let go of Changmin’s hands accidentally. This was partly a mortal sin for her doing so, so the moment that her hands were inches away from his, Changmin seized them at once, squeezing them that she blinked at Changmin as a sign of pain. Now that he had her attention, his lips moved swiftly towards her, Yoona afraid that she moved back. The prince opened his eyes to see his estimation was incorrect, with another Yoona frowning at him in disgust.

Changmin scowled. “Do it.”

Yoona moved her head slowly to the right and then to the left. “No. My first kiss should be with someone I love.”

“You’re going to waste three hours of our time here by not fulfilling the final orders?” Changmin snapped, irritated that he crashed his lips immediately to her without waiting for Yoona to answer. The birds flew all around the chapel, claps and laughter and cheering were heard, to most of the new couple’s surprise. But his eyes were open, eyeing Sooyoung and the way she tilted her head in envy, unable to look at them. By then, Changmin was the first to move away, Yoona lowering her head in shyness and shame.

He smiled seeing this image of Yoona. “Surprised you.”

She nodded in reply, pulling her hands gradually away from his. Her whole life appeared shattered, or was she just overreacting? Besides that, this was still disappointing because she didn’t love Changmin. Not yet, perhaps but of course, it was impossible to think about the future now that she felt too...tired and unable to talk back.

Even him, who had just known her three days ago, suspected that she really felt sad by the incident. In the ringing loudness of cheers and bells, as they started walking down the aisle, Changmin took her hand and placed it on his arm. Yoona looked up sadly, tears bounded for launching.

“I’m sorry,” he said tonelessly to her. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know that,” Yoona replied miserably. “I just didn’t think we would kiss.”

Changmin shrugged. “Me either. I was unprepared.”

 “I just wanted to get out of here because of the food waiting at the feast back at the palace,” Yoona stated.

He laughed. “You’re not the only one.”

-_-_-_-

The gates of the Sangdokchian palace were huge and cemented with grills, tall that even a 7-year-old Krystal had thought it reached the sky. The outsiders who didn’t receive their invites to the feast were crowding up outside on midday, the sun burning their impatience of getting in. The guards were surrounding every post and corner so it was impossible to get in.

“Yah! Yah! Make way,” Kyuhyun squeezed himself, holding on to his two other friends. It wasn’t long until they had been shoved to the front of the line, Kyuhyun hastily fixing his coat to look very dashing. Victoria couldn’t help her giggle, while Khun seemed to be hopeless that they were so obvious, so palpable that they were just playing pretend. Oh well, maybe prison wouldn’t be that bad.

“Invitation.”

Kyuhyun laughed, hands on his waist. He shook his head. “I’m sorry. But we’ve come a long way. We’re one of the princess’s friends from Byungmi. We’re a little late because our carriage was destroyed along the way. We had to walk and ask for directions.”

“No invite, no entry,” they said.

Kyuhyun scoffed. “Why wouldn’t you believe us? We’re tired and...” His reply was blurred, eyes on a woman, an angel perhaps for she was wearing white, approaching the gates on her own, eyes as still as a calm day. It was then that Kyuhyun, for once in his life, learned to keep his mouth shut. He held on to his ring, tightly while eyes still following the girl.

And there was that constant pounding on his chest that he couldn’t ignore so quickly. Who was she? Kyuhyun shoved the ring to the guards, already excited of entering without any further questions.

“This ring proves that I’m from Byungmi,” Kyuhyun told him. “Can you read Chinese? It states here, BYUNGMI. See!”

The girl, her hair flowing down to her hips, couldn’t help but overhear what they were arguing about and approached the entry, Kyuhyun getting a bigger and better sight of her. He was stunned to see a human being ever look so gorgeous, ever so pure.

“What’s wrong?” she asked the guards who bowed their heads upon her presence.

“Princess Seohyun. This group of people said they’re from Byungmi,” the guard reported, Seohyun nodding. She couldn’t see who these people were, but it didn’t matter, for she knew her unnie invited a few of her friends from Byungmi.

“Please. Let them in,” Seohyun answered. “Yoona-unnie has been expecting you a couple of minutes ago.”


	6. The Best Plans

Yoona-unnie. Could she be the Byungmi girl the prince had married? She assumed she was, and as the grudge of having the next queen an outsider disappeared, Qian’s heart had fallen a little better that night. But of course, the guilt was still persistent, her mind counting all the possibilities of being caught, for they were only invited by coincidence. If the princess recognized them as pretenders and noticed that it was all because of the feast, they would surely be thrown to the dungeon or out of the kingdom. Or perhaps worse, they could be killed for impersonating and fooling the dongsaeng of her majesty.

“I’m truly sorry,” she bowed her head at the three of them, Kyuhyun simply amazed at how respectful she was. “Their customs here are different from ours back home. It’s hard to adjust.”

“Your highness,” Qian started speaking up, already noticing that princess was unable to use her sense of sight. “Do you need help?”

She shook her head. “That’s very kind of you. I can do it on my own, thank you.” She yawned unexpectedly, and Kyuhyun, still watching her walk in front of them, was awed at the graceful being, the way she smiled, walk, and talk. It was considerable since even their own Sangdokchian princess rarely walked and acted like so. She was even more heaven-like than the fallen angel of Korea, much innocent than princess Krystal who he once thought was prettiest girl that ever lived.

“Are you sleepy? Should you be in bed?” Nichkhun, who received a long glare from his cousin Kyuhyun, smiled intentionally, as though knowing that Kyu was planning to make the same move on the woman as well. With an upset Victoria behind (upset perhaps because of the boys flirting with such a dangerous subject), Kyuhyun nudged his hyung by the elbow, eyeing him. Instead of heeding him, Nichkhun even worsen it by holding the princess’s arm as she walked up.

Seohyun was surprised, a smile now coming across her face. She bowed her head at him. “Thank you.”

Unexpectedly, Qian, doubting her boys even more, pulled Nichkhun by his collar backward, accidentally tripping upon the steps. It was a surprise to her, her strength being encouraged by her irritation; situations like these didn’t often happen to the trio. The only disadvantage, Victoria later realized half a second later, the fact that Seohyun was blind, and she trusted her whole support on Khun. And as any love story would go, Seohyun slipped, lucky enough that Kyuhyun, the man who seem to be watching her every move, was at her service, catching her arms quickly before she did fall.

She sighed, eyes widening, unaware of what was happening in her surroundings. “Goodness, what happened?” She heard them talking behind, the way they didn’t sound so familiar, so un-Byungmi like---her suspicion slowly increasing.

Kyuhyun frowned at Victoria and his hyung, both casually laughing at an inside joke. “Qian, apologize,” he whispered, still holding the girl.

“I’m sorry, your majesty,” Victoria quickly told her, patting the princess’s shoulder. “Nichkhun-oppa was...I accidentally grabbed him. He was the one helping you up.”

She nodded, moving away from Kyuhyun. The smell of him, something of that kind of fragrance, it was unlike the one you would usually smell off from her people. A feisty kind, an extraordinary one---sweet and calm, an indifferent warmness of sunshine and the ocean, mixed all into his shirt. He smelled quite nice, approachable and very kind. But, trusting her nose, she knew where to follow.

“You’re not from Byungmi, are you?”

Not one of three looked panicked. They looked from left to right, apparently noticing that most of the guests were inside for the reception, so it was safe, probably to reveal the truth. And besides, lying to a noble especially when you were not as strong and as wealthy as them was considered a crime to everyone else. Qian, of course, disliked the backup plan Kyuhyun made, for it all seemed rushed and not thoroughly discussed. Seohyun, being a princess, was bound to tell. It was bad luck enough that she was the one who had let them in. It was bad timing indeed, for they knew she would reveal it all and they would be under judicial process. Her mother would kill her before she enters a cellar.

All three bowed their whole torso. Kyuhyun sighed, his sweat trickling down. Since he was the nearest, he had to tell Seohyun himself squarely and honestly. “That’s right, your majesty. I hope you have that heart not to hate us for lying. We only wanted to eat for free, but we realized it was such a failed attempt.”

Seohyun looked displeased. “Do you know how...alarming it is to fool a royal blood?”

And for further reasoned, Kyuhyun remembered why they lied in the first place. He looked down, at that glimmering object that hung by his neck under the pale night sky. Hurriedly now, he seized it off, immediately approaching the princess. He took both of Seohyun’s hands up, hoping that if she was unable to see; maybe her Yoona-unnie could help.

“The reason you see is because I wanted to show you---”

Seohyun placed both of her hands behind her back, shaking her head. “No, that’s not acceptable.” He gradually slipped the necklace back to his own pocket, staring hopelessly at the girl for a second he thought of marrying.

They nodded, Victoria trembling now. “Forgive us, your majesty. We didn’t mean to lie to you.”

After minutes of silence, she sighed, smiling at the three. “They’re far strict, aren’t they? Is it always like this here in Sangdokchi? Do you think it’s possible under my sister’s period of power that we can change the system around here? It’s never like this back at home,” Seohyun told them, wandering up the staircase with her back on them.

Victoria was dumbfounded at that statement, Nichkhun by far amazed, and Kyuhyun, the man even more attracted to the fine princess, stunned. Since they knew not of how the princess truly acted, they couldn’t quite comprehend what she meant by that until she faced them again, already five steps away with a wide grin.

“Your secret is safe with me,” the princess told them. “Let’s have dinner. I’m very hungry.”

-_-_-_-

Little by little, she stood up from her seat, exercising her legs from all of that session. She whimpered, one that was in pain, like how a puppy would when his tail is squished. Her thighs were growing numb in the sense, legs below seemingly paralyzed that she was forced to sit back down. With curiosity and expectation, her seatmate chuckled lightly, as to indicate his joy upon seeing her in pain.

She glared. “Yah, it does hurt.”

He smirked. “I don’t throw massages on the first night, my dear Yoona.”

Laughter, as if to lighten the situation, escaped Yoona’s lips, looking at her prince. “I want to go to bed now. I’m sleepy. I’ll go sleep first so that way if you ever come, I won’t have to see you sleep beside me. Or...I could take a maid’s chamber room, instead, right? I should. I will ask my nurse to find me on in this palace----“

“I won’t touch you,” Changmin clarified. “I haven’t touched a woman in my entire life.”

“And I bet you haven’t lie either?” Yoona smirked, rolling her eyes. “Is it really against tradition if I break it? I don’t want to sleep with you. I don’t want to happen what my father and your father and everyone else in this town wants to happen.”

Changmin shook his head, clicking his tongue in rhythm. “You don’t have a choice now do you? I for one am not pleased with it either.”

With her head down, she fiddled with her gloved hands, her gown definitely steaming inside, fitting and squeezing her whole body that every air ran off from her lungs. Any minute and she would faint, she thought so, and if it weren’t for the people watching every move she made along with the future King, she would lie immediately. Thinking that it was her right, Yoona did lay her head on top of the table, the prince worriedly shocked that his eyes widened at the sight of her there. Conscious about what the people would say, he looked at the crowd and it seemed that they were minding their own business, eating and socializing with the rest of the invited.

As if on their own accord, his hands fell on Yoona’s shoulder, and she quivered at their presence, jolting upright again to feel such a strong tingle coming from a much-unsuspected man. She stared at him so accusingly, as though he had committed an act of murder, an act of violence against her that her eyes expressed so much anger and hatred yet...they were still so alluring that Changmin could not help himself from staring at them completely for the next minute.

“I’m tired too,” he finally spoke, shaking his head, coughing and looking away. “But we can’t leave until my father says so.”

“You mean even if I die out of boredom here, I still can’t leave?” Yoona protested, her eyebrows together. Spontaneous kicking like a child came afterwards, the princess very much infuriated.

Changmin nodded firmly, looking below the people. Well, his father did say almost all upperclassmen were invited to feast in honor of the prince’s marriage. And besides the fact that only he and Yoona were slightly elevated from the ground, he sensed that everyone, maybe occasionally, glanced up at them and smiled, thinking what kind of couple were brought about by the said ‘prophecy’.

The thrones they were sitting upon, the itchiness it brought to his skin...how could Yoona stand this? Yes, he too wanted to leave so badly. Back when he was younger, he was only allowed to leave the table if his plate was empty. Now, in contrast, having already how many seconds and thirds to the banquet, he was not given the signal to do so. Everyone was still eating, so he had to wait until the visitors finished.

“Just a few more minutes,” Changmin told her secretly. “You’ll get your rest. I know you’re tired. Save that energy. There’s still dancing.”

If only she wasn’t a princess, if only she wasn’t the first heiress, surely enough, she would not have been stuck, sitting next to him for the whole evening, practically smiling at anyone who approached them, guests she had never seen before in her entire life. Perhaps if her existent lost brother, the prince of Byungmi, were still alive, he would have probably married young Prince Changmin’s little sister Krystal---who by that minute was busily using her naivety to attract the older high-classes acquaintances. Her eyes, almost as doe-shaped as hers, blinked several times before realizing that her unnie of five hours was observing her from afar.

With a smile, she waved and bowed at the men surrounding her, as she began walking towards the throne. Changmin sneered at his sister, only to find out later on that she was after Yoona. He stared at his wife, the way she seemed to feel so intimated by the little girl. Krystal and Yoona, though two could be mistaken as identical twins, were also in a way linked together in character. The former, a princess known for the sweetest smile on the planet, the only daughter of his majesty, was keenly clever and sly in methods Changmin had yet to prove. Yoona, being older than the princess, was intellectually the same, less on surpassing the troubles her younger sister Seohyun (if she even tried) would make. Neither, another common trait, liked learning, much to Yoona’s disadvantage for Changmin was a fan of.

“Eh, you’re not allowed to approach the Great Changmin,” he stated to her and she stuck her tongue out.

Krystal bowed her head at Yoona who also did the same. “You’re going to be queen, eh?”

“Yes,” Yoona answered happily. It was the first time the girl actually attempted to talk to her. “I will be. I’ll try to do my best.”

“Save it,” the other princess muttered. “You’re not fit as anyone else in this room except for me.”

“I am ashamed to have you as my sister,” Changmin rolled his eyes, putting both hands on to Yoona’s ears. “Do I ever tell you that?” Such oddness, rather out of character for him, Yoona thought to herself when she felt warm upon his touch. She could hear him chuckle at what could have been a joke from Krystal, still putting his hands on her ears.

She blankly moved away, a straight pallid expression replaced the smile. “I’m sorry, Krystal-ah for whatever it is that made you hate me.”

Krystal laughed heartily, covering her mouth. Once she stopped, Krystal gestured at her gown, the lacey embroidery done upon the brims of her lower part and gorgeous purity written all over her bust and shoulders. “I would not wear anything as cheap as this if Mother had not forced it upon me. If I really hated you, I would wear my other pink one, the one with more class in it so that I can embarrass you. Since it is a wedding ceremony, all female relatives are required to wear the same color as the bride.”

Yoona twitched her lips to a smile. “What can I do to make you like me more?”

“We’ll see,” Krystal answered, now turning to her oppa. “Father said you can go to bed after the dancing. I told him how tired both of you were. You dance with her first, and then dance with a few guests and you may sleep. You are then permitted to, accompanied by the nurses in the palace, of course. They say you will be sleeping together tonight, in a different room.”

“My room?” Yoona chimed in excitedly that Krystal shook her head, misunderstanding her enthusiasm for something else far from her real intention.

Changmin scowled at his wife, nudging her sides. “Yah, wrong impression.”

Krystal shrugged. “I don’t even know. I’m just reporting what I heard from Father’s table. The dancing will probably start by now. You two are going to initiate it, by the way.”

Changmin cleared his throat. “Good job, sheep. Now what do you need in return?”

“Oppa really knows how I think,” Krystal started giggling, waving her hands. “But save this owing for the next time I need it. For now, it’s going to your debt.”

-_-_-_-

“And you said this was a bad idea,” Nichkhun said to Victoria before drinking his juice.

He was already done with dinner, fattened up more than he could chew. Kyuhyun was seated beside him, agreeing with endless nods. But despite having both of his ears on the conversation, his eyes were wandering in follow to the woman who he had earlier met.

He patted Victoria’s shoulder. “See, this is why Khun and I are related. We’re the brains in this family. You’re...well, Qian.”

She rolled her eyes, laughing. “You’re going to eat your words someday, Kyuhyun-oppa. But yes, it’s true. This isn’t too bad at all. Nice job, boys.”

The trumpets then sounded, everyone already expecting what would happen next. The lights above were flushed down, falling upon only the middle, being the brightest of all. All of the guests stared now on the floor, as Prince Changmin stood up from his seat. Yoona, a bit shocked and surprised at what was happening, stayed on her seat, receiving a click of a tongue from her husband who wanted to get the dance over with.

The Byungmi princess stood up, comprehending what he wanted to convey, and linked her hand around Changmin’s arm. “This is it,” he told her as they slowly paced to the middle, Yoona holding her head up while Changmin, possessing the same kind of aura, now searched the room for the woman he needed to see the most.

She was just standing there, as though it had not hurt her at all, a smile across her face that made both of his eyes hurt and watery. Changmin loved Sooyoung, with all his heart, more than the kingdom itself, and yes, Sooyoung believed it was a fact. Yet, he was holding on to another, without even feeling any kind of emotion towards the Byungmi princess except resentment, bitterness, hatred. If he could somehow change the order of events, if it was all right to his majesty, he would do it. He did not care about Sangdokchi that much and he had a successor already---thank goodness for the sixteen-year-old Krystal. She could have the throne herself, Changmin cared less what she would do with it. As long as he was happy, a selfish thought indeed.

Yoona stared at his pensive state; all in the while curious why he appeared like so. The way his eyes were so still and thinking, how familiar they were to her. As though she had seen them before, the way they curved and looked at somewhere else, she couldn’t identify what it was that was on his mind really.

“What if...the war lasts for more than years?” Yoona questioned, Changmin snapping back to reality and looking at her worriedly.

He shook his head with a smile, stretching her other arm out along with Yoona’s. “As far as I know the government farther up, the one closest to Dongsook is striving to protect the other lower nations, our nations. It will be around three months, perhaps. Just in time for your birthday.”

He placed her hand on to his shoulder, before his free one lay on her waist. The band began playing, with low lighting above, mustering up the crowd to watch at the new couple in the middle. With a step here, Yoona followed, eyes still trying to catch Changmin’s gaze but he kept on searching the room.

Everyone else, the moment the two finished their routine, followed now into the middle. Exchanging partners were always traditional, and of course, as Changmin turned Yoona around, someone tapped his shoulder. The prince, rather surprised to find someone already replacing him so quick scrutinized the outsider, Yoona doing the same thing as well.

He was wearing a mask over his eyes, hair a bit disheveled and black---coal black indeed. With a low bow, the man smiled in honor, a smile so innocent yet remarkable. Yoona felt Changmin’s grip on her waist tightened, as though unable to release a toy he was still fond of playing.

“Your majesty,” the boy said, a slight deepness in tone. “May I have this dance?”

Changmin looked at Yoona’s awkward state, her fingers on her lips in total surprise. She gazed at Changmin, a look of request if she was allowed to dance with someone else. The prince gulped and let go. Yoona, a pleasing smile stuck on her face, held on to the man’s hand as they swirled to the music.

Before they got any further, Changmin concernedly spoke, like how a father would call on his children to get inside the house when nighttime falls.

“After the dance, we could rest, remember? It’s tradition to go to bed together,” he said, receiving a glare from Yoona. “Don’t break it.”

He scowled after her, sticking his tongue out and crossing his arms across his chest. He spun around to look for Krystal, only to be faced by a much-wired Sooyoung.

“Going somewhere, prince charming?”

He smirked, putting his hands around her quietly as she did the same, hands laid upon his shoulder. “Yes, we might as well do.”

All of the visitors seemed to be busy with their own lives that silently, with a finger on Changmin’s lips, he led her out of the crowd for the moment, hastily exiting the ballroom and into the grand courtyard, a sole place only Sooyoung, out of the non-royal bloods, was allowed to enter.

-_-_-_-

He sighed, worried he would be rejected since she was a princess. But nonetheless, he had to ask her to dance with him. She was such a charming woman, light on her feet as she enthralled her partner on the dance floor.  Even though he had little ideas about her, these ideas sustained his evening to immeasurable satisfaction. Just the sight of her, her purity and naivety---it was something to brag about back home, having danced with a girl like that, a  _princess._  Her sight may be a hindrance, but it created even a more enigmatic beauty she seemed to excel in.

“Yah, why so quiet?” his own partner wondered, eyes blinking twice.

He shook his head. “Nothing, Qian. I just...was wondering if I could...”

Qian smiled sadly, knowing what he meant when she followed his eyes. As they round of waltz was about to finish, Victoria first let go of him, bowing her head. “Go on. I know you’ve been dying to dance her.”

“You sure know a lot of things about me, Qian,” Kyuhyun revealed in gratitude. “You’re marvelous.”

Afterwards he clumsily dashed across the people, going to Seohyun in a flash. Timidly, now accepting the fact that she could never fit in to this kind of environment at all, Victoria headed back to the table. It was too much of an adrenaline, perhaps, getting in without an invite, in a party exclusive for the rich. If she could ever be rich in the afterlife, then that would have been the best gift the heavens could give her. Right now, as she watched the man she was slowly falling for, dance with a girl he had just met, her heart started aching, the way every pump of blood of it made her nauseated.

“Can I have this dance?” asked a man behind her. She looked up on the face, before bursting to laughter.

“Very funny, Nichkhun-oppa,” she patted his shoulder, walking back to the table. Nichkhun couldn’t get why it was funny that he pulled her arm, Qian turned to respond.

“Yes?” she asked agreeably.

He realized what her tone of seriousness meant, her mood of annoyance looked like. She was showing it to him now, her eyes just adequately so dreamy and restless, yet her lips were straight, unmindful of what it would be that Nichkhun wanted. Quietly, now hiding how he was feeling for her, he shook his head.

“Never mind.”

-_-_-_-

They could be the longest two on the floor---but it was as though they were naturally letting time pass by, without anyone muttering a word, without a single conversation, and that had frightened Yoona, being a talkative person. He swayed her, controlled her so efficiently---yes, in fact better than Changmin himself. He would bring her to be one with the music, and as they turned one last time, Yoona sighed.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t even know your name,” Yoona said.

He smiled at her, taking off the mask for her to see. A memorable characteristic obviously was his smile, lips slightly pressed with eyes just as guiltless as hers. She knew him, of course---the boy from her yesterday, a friend she once met through Seohyun’s 7th birthday. It was the first and last encounter from that handsome man.

“Do you...remember?” he asked her, and she nodded silently. Without her knowing it, she realized both of them stopped.

“I do, but...only your face marks my memory,” she answered worriedly, cracking her brain to open up. They talked but only for a little time, and she didn’t even bother talking to him again.

He gracefully bowed his head. “I’m Kibum, my dear princess, the Prince of Dongsook.”


	7. Blue Tea

He smiled so confidently, as though expecting that the princess would react as so. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

“I have danced with you once,” Yoona recalled, trying to remember years before. She was just nine, really. How could anyone possibly remember something so distant in the past, something that had happened 10 years ago. “But I do not know. I do not see most of the princes I have met.”

There was no sign. With a smirk, he moved his arms around her quickly, pulled out a knife from one of his pockets and swiftly laid it by the princess’s neck. Yoona’s insides were yelling by instinct to shout, scream call out for help, but nobody else seemed alarm about her state. She resorted to yelling, her mouth as wide as she often was teased when she was younger, and later she started kicking him from behind but the guy, the so-called prince did not even flinch. She continued to struggle on her own, shouting and shouting for help but nobody turned their heads. From afar she could see her dearest sister, dancing with a man she had just seen. Seohyun appeared so happy, laughing about a joke her new friend had told her. Yoona tried grabbing her attention, getting her ears to hear her squeal but there was nothing. Nothing seemed wrong to them. Why was it so?

Yoona, unaware, reached for her ring involuntarily, as though it was necessary to do so, thinking that this action could help.  Her mother had once told her there was magic inside it without her even comprehending its meaning. She held it tightly, tears already in her eyes as the grip tightened.

Before she knew it, the knife dug deeper now to her throat, slowing slashing her porcelain skin. To her surprise, there was no pain.

“No, no, wait! Why can’t they hear me? Why isn’t anyone helping me? Why aren’t they turning their heads? Wait...wait..this isn’t right...”

“There are no waits when you’re a royal blood,” he whispered to her evilly. “What has been destined to happen must therefore come true...”

“Wait, stop...what do you want? Please...wait....I can’t die yet! My sister...she has to have her eyes back, please...” Yoona kept muttering, trying to lengthen her time to think of a way out.

“I want you,” Kibum said, eyes glimmering at her. “I want you Byungmi heiress...dead.”

_“Yoona!”_

-_-_-_-

_“Don’t wear the ring to the feast,” Yoona ordered her, Seohyun’s eyes widening in surprise. She had never took it off, never in her life, because it was her mother’s last gift, last piece of memory she could attain from her mother._

_“Why, unnie?”_

_Yoona shrugged, placing the veil over her face. “Just don’t wear it. I should be the only one wearing it tonight. You can wear it tomorrow.”_

_“But umma said that---”_

_“I know what umma said, Seohyun-ah!” the princess yelled at her dongsaeng irately. “Mother is not around. In honor of her, don’t wear the ring. She has to be with me for the rest of the night. She is mine for the rest of the night. If you wear the ring, we are sharing her. For now, I need all the luck, magic and mother I need. So don’t wear it. If Mother says it’s as magical as it is, then I hope what she says works. You can’t wear it now. I need it more than you do. Keep it. Someone might try taking it away from you. You don’t know the people here, arasso?”_

_“I understand, unnie,” Seohyun bowed her head, untying the necklace and leaving it by the dresser._

“Where is unnie?” Seohyun asked worriedly, as though a missile amidst the background music of the band playing. Kyuhyun turned his head from left to right, trying to find the queen. His eyes fell on the woman somewhere near the large windowsill, nearly falling on her knees, holding on to a man, his eyes worried ever so anxiously at the sight of the princess falling frail. The man, the one who had held Yoona, didn’t know what to do, eyes widening as the crowd now turned their attention towards the two of them, guards quickly approaching the two.

Without any more hesitation, Kyuhyun dragged Seohyun towards where the commotion had beaten them, the princess, holding on to him tightly.

“What’s happening? What’s going on? The music stopped playing,” Seohyun silently whispered, trying to feel

“Your majesty! Your majesty, wake up!” called her partner, the one she had danced with before fainting. He was more than perplexed, his expression too surprised. What was going on? Yoona was already on the ground, the guests surrounding at the two of them, starting the rumors that were untrue. She lay there, helpless, unconscious, and completely still, until seconds later where guards paraded towards them, breaking the wide circle and not long after the King and Queen themselves came to see her being carried by the royal family’s personal doctor, nurses following swiftly from behind.

“What’s happening? Tell me or I’ll have you out! Tell me what’s going on!” Seohyun begged him, her fingers tightly on Kyuhyun’s shirt that it had woke him up.

There was truly something wrong in the area. He knew it, felt it himself. The bad aura, as though he too was trapped in the same trance as Yoona that all the sounds around him disappeared into a thin line of nothingness. It scared him, shaking his head and wondering why he could actually feel such dark energy while the others were panicking, fretting. Were they truly so numb not to perceive it?

“The princess fainted,” Kyuhyun revealed, Seohyun covering her mouth in a gasp. “She’s being brought back to her chamber. I’m afraid the party’s over, your grace.”

“Where is she? I need to follow---” Seohyun was stopped at her pace, Kyuhyun surprisingly holding on her sleeve.

She felt disturbed at this act. “Don’t. It’s not yet safe, princess.”

“What do you mean by that? I’m sorry but she’s my sister. Where are my nurses?” Seohyun pulled back her arm, bowed her head still as graceful and scurried, Kyuhyun shaking his head in irritation. Was he that underestimated that nobody even listened to him anymore?

The scent was familiar to him, not that it made much sense. It smelled like Nichkhun when he took a bath by the river downstream, where the springs spread their light wings. Fragrant, yes, but very odd scent occurred in Kyuhyun’s memory, doubting of course that it would have any connection to his faithful cousin.

Slowly, his hands slipped down his pockets, gripping the ring. It felt heavier, much heavier when he took it out. He searched the room, despite the horror that had happened, for his friends, noticing Victoria running to him quickly.

She panted, sighing when she saw her best friend’s grave face. She placed her hand over his shoulder, worried. “You felt it, didn’t you?”

Kyuhyun nodded, handing the ring to Nichkhun, who also was running behind Qian.

“Hyung, better keep this in your possession,” he suggested. “I smell dark magic.”

“You mean me taking a bath?” Nichkhun asked, also understanding his cousin’s keen sense of smell. “Yeah, I smelled something like that earlier when you were still dancing with Seohyun-ah.”

Kyuhyun pursed his lips. “It could be the same one that was after me years before.”

“Aish, Kyuhyun-oppa!” Victoria whined, the three of them already starting their way out of the palace. “What good will it do you? You understand that nobody believes in witchcraft anymore. You know that they’ve been banished from Sangdokchi long before. Even your own aunt disagrees. You know very well that they would not consider you even if you tell.”

“I’m not going to tell, Qian,” Kyuhyun muttered. “But you know I’m telling the truth, and hyung also knows. I don’t need anybody else to understand that until I am for certain of this sorcery business.”

Nichkhun twisted his lips, staring at the ring. “And if you never prove it real?”

“It’s real, hyung,” he retorted, almost as annoyed as a little child. “I will not forget the last time we crossed Baekham Bridge. Just before the chase, before we were discovered trespassing, I wore the ring around my neck...and that ghost came, cloak covering his hideous face, acting as though he was hyung, but he wasn’t. He talked to me in my sleep and he held a knife on my neck, untying the ring. I had nothing to do but hold on to it. I fought back the nightmare, and I would wake up back to the present time, where we were already being chased. If not for Nichkhun calling my name, I bet I would have been swiped dead into Byungmi’s dungeon.”

“Byungmi might know why the ring’s so important,” Victoria concluded. “What I don’t understand is why that sorcerer attacked the future queen. Was it...because she was from Byungmi?”

Nichkhun cleared his throat. Like lightning, he understood almost as perfect as he could of the situation. He could see it more evidently, that the so-called warlock was attacking the heirs to Byungmi’s throne. He knew this of course, because Kyuhyun was also an heir, however that had not entered Kyuhyun’s mind at all. How he wished he could tell his cousin of this, fake cousin rather, that he was a subjected heir. And yet, knowing now that more troubles are yet to come due to this idea, and the chance of losing Kyuhyun forever was still at risk, he decided to keep his mouth shut and wait along to see.

The mystery had yet been solved, because he still did not understand why the heirs were being killed.

“As far as I can see it, the sorcerer must be from Byungmi. And those men...that chased us ten years ago were after your ring, could it be though that they know about this? Could it also mean that they’ve been trying to catch this wizard since the dawn of time? The ring must be the bait---the one that attracts the wizard. We could be dealing with a very notorious person here. This is dangerous, Kyuhyun-sshi. Although now that I believe you, I can’t put the pieces together yet.”

“Or maybe you two are just overlooking it?” Qian added, scratching her head in irritation. “I mean, it could be that Princess Yoona was just tired that’s why she fainted!”

“No, Qian,” Kyuhyun denied, very sure of what he felt. “He was there. He was after me, but he touched the future queen instead. That...that is still what’s keeping me from putting a stop to this. This doesn’t even make sense at all. He only meets me in Baekham Bridge. He never crosses. Something or someone...had brought it in to the village itself.”

“We’re not even certain yet what he could really do,” Nichkhun jumped on with his thoughts. “For all we know, he could be listening to us talk. How did you escape it, Kyuhyun-sshi? How was it possible that you made it out alive every time that evil person tried killing you?”

“He’s not here. He retreated when the princess fainted,” he sighed, putting his arms around Victoria and Nichkhun. “This is just my theory. I always win in reaching the ring before he did. After I reach it, he fades into dust and I faint or fall asleep if I were conscious or woke up if I was stuck in the nightmare. It’s a race, really. I hold on to the ring before he could.”

Victoria scratched her head, dumbfounded by the event. “This is getting on my nerves. I’m very scared now.”

“But why won’t you let go of the ring, Kyuhyun-sshi? After all, it’s all trouble. We always get into trouble because of it. Why didn’t you just let the sorcerer get it, instead?” Nichkhun thought this was the only open way to give up Kyuhyun’s position as the prince of Byungmi. Perhaps the sorcerer relied much on the rings that defined being a royal blood. Without the ring, if that was possible, then Kyuhyun would be free from it clutches.

He glowered. “I just knew it. I just knew that I would not live to see it on someone else. This is mine since I was very young. I can’t give it up. I can’t lose it. It means the whole world to me.”

-_-_-_-

They’ve entered to the main throne hall without even realizing what had happened. All they were more concerned were why the music stopped, or why the visitors were all leaving when the feast had just started. Why were they wearing sad faces? With Sooyoung huddled behind him, Changmin looked around for his parents first and then upon failing, he searched for his sister.

“Krystal-sshi!” he called her, the young woman restlessly turning to see her oppa. Teeth gritted, she pointed at Changmin and Sooyoung’s interlinked hands, clicking her tongue. They both let go at once, the girl keeping a definite distance already.

“Oppa, don’t do that in public,” Krystal whispered, her brother blushing.

Changmin shook his head, scratching the side of his neck. “What...what’s going on?”

His sister, with eyes ever so piercing, glared in terror, goaded. “Pathetic man. Do you even know what happened to the princess?”

Sooyoung’s attention turned to her, also interested in the news.

“What...to Yoona?” Changmin replied, unable to understand. “Oi, Krystal, this is not a good time to be joking.”

“Where have you been?” Krystal whined, eyeing at the two of them for coming in late. “Why do you scorn at me when in fact you are the more evil? You are to act as Yoona’s husband, and where were you? Kissing another girl who is not even a royal blood?”

“Take that back!” Changmin scolded her, standing closer to his sister. Sooyoung bit her lower lip, eyelids at flutter when the siblings argued. “You try to say something disgraceful again and I will send you to boarding school.”

Krystal simply shook her head, arms crossed. She turned her back and started walking out on her oppa. “It was all right with me a little while ago but for once, if you cannot tolerate anything I say, take this one seriously,” she sighed heavily before continuing. “You’re married, oppa.”

Sooyoung repressed her giggle, seeing the two switch personalities. Krystal appeared serious, while Changmin, as much as Sooyoung didn’t want to admit it, was shaky.

“Stop! Where is...she now? What exactly happened?” Changmin sadly asked Krystal who rolled her eyes at the question.

She pointed to the upper floor, to one of the west wing’s hallways. “In her room. She fainted, and there is no sure reason why she did.”

“She fainted?” Changmin repeated the words. Krystal left the two of them in the middle of the completed tumult, where no one but him and Sooyoung around, except perhaps the ladies in waiting and the men ordered to clean the throne hall.

His attention was diverted to a boy, the very man he had left Yoona with, bowing at his front so stiffly that it made the prince remember this.

“Your highness,” the other person greeted.

Changmin’s other eyebrow cocked, as the other man took his hands and placed something before his palms.

“What is this?” the prince questioned.

He smiled unintentionally. “It’s the princess’s necklace. She was holding on to it before she fainted. I thought of taking it and handing it to you before anyone could have seen it. I believe this ring is that important to her as her own life? She was muttering it before her eyes closed.”

“You were with her, weren’t you?” Changmin inquired and the man, without denying it, nodded.

“I was with her before she seemed to have lost it,” he informed. “I was calling her name, but it would seem she didn’t respond to it. Please inform me at once if her health had gotten better.”

“I do think everyone else in the village would be aware of that,” Changmin stated boringly, looking at the ring now in his possession. “I’m not familiar with your name, sir. How may I address you?”

“Your father had invited me over, because I’m a son of one of his good friends. I am merely a lieutenant discharged from the base of Dongsook,” he introduce, smiling. “Tell her it’s Kibum. I think she didn’t even get my name correct due to her accident. But I do hope she remembers.”

“At your age? A lieutenant at once?” Changmin wondered. “Why were you discharged?”

He lowered his head in honor. “My superior was killed in one of the most recent battles. I could not go on living in the military if that is the case of losing a sunbae. I must leave you now, your majesty.”

Changmin signaled Sooyoung, eyes meeting each other at once as though without muttering a thing, they had understood each other, a wonderful conversation ended with smiles.

“Take care of her,” Sooyoung suggested.

He raised his hand up, waving already. “I wish she was you.”

“You want me to faint now as well? No, I don’t think you could use more of the drama,” she replied, bowing her head. “So now I’ll go home. Until the next time, Changmin-sshi, okay?”

“Okay,” Changmin answered, smiling. “I’m going to be scolded because of you.”

She stuck her tongue out playfully. “Don’t you always?”

-_-_-_-

He tossed and turned---something unusual of him to be doing so because at nights and times like these, he would have fallen asleep. Totally beaten and tired from work. Perhaps it was the effect of dancing with princess Seohyun. Or it could be the idea that the mysterious unseen dark is back? He placed both of that together and it worried him even more. Would Seohyun be attacked as well? The poor girl could not even see, how could she protect herself from that? Besides, there was more to the puzzle than the discovery of the whole universe itself. It was far complex, Kyuhyun finally decided. Why it was attacking the next queen? Had it gone stupid to be aiming for such an important person? He should have just killed him, Kyuhyun instead of the princess. And does that mean that Yoona also...

“Kyuhyun-sshi! Go to sleep already!” Nichkhun muttered from the other side.

Kyuhyun stared at the other side, seeing that he was still wide-awake, reading a book by his bed.

“Hyung? Not yet asleep?” Kyuhyun prompted by his knee, at wonder. His cousin smirked.

“You must be thinking of what happened, right?” he assumed. “Don’t worry, I bet she’s okay now.”

“I’m more worried about Seohyun-ah,” Kyuhyun replied, rubbing his eyes. “I’m scared she might get attacked.”

 _There’s no telling, but that is a very good possibility._ Nichkhun shook his head at the thought. He could not tell Kyuhyun that. He would know for sure about his past.

“She’s safe,” Nichkhun answered lazily, eyes on the book. Even though he had read it a thousand times before, here he was again, going over the story as though it was his first. “You should be more alarmed of your state. He’s in the village, therefore, be on a look out. He might remember you.”

“He hadn’t attacked me for three years now,” Kyuhyun said laxly. “He might be after something else.”

Nichkhun laughed. “This is really absurd. We know magic is already inconvenient and unreliable in Sangdokchi and we still believe that Yoona was under that dark trance.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he told his hyung. “I think this is far greater than the war that’s about to happen.”

-_-_-_-

Tradition was broken. Her life was at stake; maybe Changmin should even thank her for doing that, for not putting both of them in the same room. But of course, she was already tired, how could he not notice that? He walked briskly in the long hallway, the longest one in the whole palace, where only three chambers were available. Yoona, according to Krystal, was inside her own room.

Broken. She broke the tradition. She was supposed to sleep with Changmin in the one chamber, in the chamber only reserved for the future rulers. She broke it, and Changmin was unsure yet whether he should thank her or feel sorry.

Aish, how could he be more concerned of tradition? He walked faster, his steps lighter, heading for the room. It wasn’t Yoona’s fault at all. She was so tired, possibly and this went against her own will. Screw tradition if they were still going to break up in the end of the war. Screw it all.

Seohyun, the princess exiting the room quietly, had her head down as she passed by Changmin, so he stopped, an indication that he was in front of her.

“Seohyun-sshi?”

“Ah, your highness,” she greeted almost softly.

“Could...may I...see her?” Changmin asked.

Seohyun smiled with a nod. “Of course. She was just waking up when I left the room. You too should need your rest, your majesty. We never know who might be next to getting sick.”

Changmin chuckled. “Aigoo, Seohyun-ah! You may go to your room now and sleep. I will talk to Yoona.”

She left hurriedly, although unlike her cheerful self, there was not a smile on her face tonight, but a rather distressed one, with eyebrows tucked almost close to each other. Changmin sighed before his knuckles touched the door, the sound of the knock echoing.

“Yoona?”

“Yoona’s asleep,” her answer came instantly. If he had not known it at all, she seemed to be her usual self again, the witty sarcastic princess that talked well too often than she should.

Changmin couldn’t help smiling now, holding the doorknob of the door with a light push.

“May I come in?” he asked his permission, but before the princess could reply, he was already inside. The bed was to his right, elevated by a step of a platform, Yoona’s nurse handing her the tea.

Changmin looked at her from her, her hair, curling now it was, cascading down to her nightgown and sheets that covered her knees and below. He understood perfectly why she was often referred to as goddess, associated with the immortal beauty. Her eyes as he observed were slowly achieving the original brownish color, as though it faded when she had fallen asleep.

He approached her, the nurse bowing her head at the prince. “Is it all right if you leave us?”

The nurse nodded, covering her wily smile. “Of course, your majesty.”

“Does your mother know you’re in here?” Yoona reprimanded at once, Changmin surprised at her talking back. He approached her, post to post, sitting at the end of the bedside.

He pointed at her forehead. “Oi, get some rest. Mother would not care if I was in the archery at a time like this.”

They had never been that close, besides kissing each other during the wedding. Changmin was the one initiating it, and he was unaware that he was moving to her just as fast.

“Give Krystal my thanks for the tea,” Yoona muttered, head down.

Changmin’s eyes widened. “Krystal-ah gave you the tea?” He swiftly took the teapot from the bedside, smelt its inside, checking for anything peculiar. “You should never trust my little sister.”

Yoona giggled lightly. “She won’t poison me.”

“A person who’s ‘stealing’ her throne in the future? Yeah, I don’t think so either,” he responded, putting back the tea. He looked at Yoona, her frail state, so much was still young about her that he knew she would always look like this for the rest of their lives, facing so many challenges in the kingdom. Much to his dismay, he kept on thinking that he would have to take care of her in this manner. And Krystal would have more attempts at getting rid of Yoona. He had to watch out for the kid. All of these foreshadowing made Changmin laugh silently, Yoona eyeing him pensively at whatever it was that made him chuckle.

He looked at her again, Yoona now also unwavering.

“What?” Both of them asked each other, the same very word and intonation came about.

“What are you laughing about?”

Changmin scowled immediately. “I’m not laughing.” His façade quickly disappeared, remembering the idea and laughing again.

Yoona clapped her hands, pointing at his lips. “See! There you go again! You’re hiding something from me.”

“No, I was just thinking of what were to happen if you really remained queen,” Changmin answered her. “I mean, Krystal trying to devise a very devious plot in getting rid of you while I just watch in the background to see it all. It’s funny.”

“Weird man and weird humor,” Yoona clicked her tongue. “That explains so many things.”

The prince shared looks of daggers with her, making Yoona chortle heartily, looking away first and stumbling to her pillow.

“Go to sleep, Yoona!” Changmin ordered, thumping her very rickety feet kicking him.

“Fine,” she replied, on her tummy now. “I don’t even understand why you’re here.”

He grinned. “I needed to check you weren’t dead yet. Your burial would be that costly.”

Yoona stuck her tongue out. “You’re a snarky man, has anyone ever told you that?”

“Well, you’re absolutely annoying, has anyone ever told you that?”

Changmin stood up already, starting his way out of the chambers before Yoona noticed this, using her elbows to see him more clearly. “Yah! I thought...”

“What?” Changmin looked at her, perplexed.

“The tradition? Are you going to break it? It’s the first night. Newly-weds should be in bed together. Not that they should be doing something together, but...together,” Yoona said, her eyes drifting to him then to her side. The bed could fit almost five people, if not Changmin alone, and that was why she actually woke up in the first place. Because she didn’t want to fall asleep while he was still awake. That spelled trouble to any woman.

He shook his head. “I don’t think that would be appropriate right now.” Besides, Changmin did not want to sleep next to such a woman. She seemed messy and rude and just plain...it irked him just by thinking about it.

Yoona pulled the covers to the side and patted the bed. “See! It’s comfortable! I fell asleep so fast.”

“I wonder if you’ll fall asleep with me, though,” Changmin reasoned out, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He took of his shoes, unable to clearly make out why he exactly wanted to go to bed with her. Was she afraid of sleeping on her own? Was she really serious with sleeping with him? There were so many thoughts of unsolved problems he just couldn’t conduct with Yoona’s troublesome ways. He shoved his shoes under the bed, climbed up, his back leaned against the headboard. Maybe she didn’t break the tradition just yet. Maybe it was still all right.

“Aren’t you lively all of a sudden? Are you vampire-raised or what?”

She sighed. “No, so you should go to sleep.”

“I’m not going to sleep before you do,” he retaliated, crossing his arms.

“But I’m not going to shut my eyes unless you will,” Yoona quickly answered.

Changmin pursed his lips. “Ladies first, my dear Yoona.”

“I’m not a lady, my prince,” she smugly said.

He started chuckling since it was obviously true. “Then, we’ll have to stay up all night waiting for the other to fall asleep. I bet my own breakfast it’ll be you.”

“My breakfast it is, if you win.”

Changmin was very sure he would win, knowing of the weak condition his wife was in, and because he had stayed up almost every time before. He was sure though that he couldn’t lose.

Yoona as for one was more than energized due to the rest she already attained. She could sustain it, the drowse disappearing. Plus she just had tea. She was sure though that she couldn’t lose.

And the games began, hours before sunshine hit the kingdom.


	8. First Love

The air was moist that morning, like their other previous morning in the village. She curled slowly, puller her sheets, and bit her lower lip, putting a stop to the dream she hated. A reoccurring dream for her----he one where she was still holding on to her baby brother, taking him tightly until he disappeared in her arms. She wished to avoid it every time.

Dream...she wouldn’t dream if she wasn’t asleep. Then...had she really fallen asleep?

Bolting, the princess sat upright just as quick as her realization. She stared to her side, noting that her partner was nowhere to be found. She fell asleep. The day, bright sunny day, entered her bedroom already, brightening the once dark chamber. The curtains were parted aside, tied with golden ropes---unlike exactly how she had left them before the drowse last night completely stupefied her consciousness. Afraid to face her husband, she closed her eyes in anxiety, shaking her head as she buried her whole face inside the cloth and started kicking her legs. Startled by the knock on her door, the Byungmi princess staggered on the velvet floor. Could it be...could it be Changmin now, laughing at his spare food and in her misery?

“Awake?” came his voice, passing through the door. She lost to him unfortunately---she lost her breakfast to that unforgivable man. “Hurry up and get to the dining hall before I do.”

“Yah!” Yoona shouted, quickly dashing to open the door. But when she did arrive at the doorway, popping her head at the hallway, she saw Changmin walk away. She kept on shouting, but he wouldn’t turn his back. Running as fast as lightning, Yoona had still not managed to reach him in time that when he turned left for the staircase, he seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Not a single sound of his footsteps was heard from here so she sighed.

“He cheated his way,” she whispered tiredly and began walking down all by herself.

-o0o-

Dragging her feet to the dining hall with the least energy, Yoona kept a disgruntled face, despite all the compliments and how-are-you-your-majesty greetings she received along her way. Her tummy growled. She placed her hand on it. Kimchi stew, chicken, crabs---whatever the menu may contain that morning, even if it was hard coal, she would eat it. That silly dance last night made her exhausted, famished still in the morning.

“Oh? Just waking up?”

She didn’t even notice Krystal passing by. Yawning, the princess waved. “Oh, yes apparently.”

The young girl frowned. “Well, I wouldn’t expect much for your breakfast though.”

“So you’ve heard,” Yoona rolled her eyes.

“Heard? About what?” Krystal asked, a little shocked she changed topics. “I just think there wouldn’t be any left for you. Better request the cook or something.”

Yoona pouted, scratching her head. “Aish, I’m too lazy to head for the kitchen.”

And with these words, they no longer looked back at the other, proceeding to where their destination was. At the dining hall, where the long table made of the strongest red wood was located, she only saw the maids, picking up the platters and wiping the utensils.

She nearly cried at the sight of this. “Eh? Where is my breakfast?” Her voice was loud, high-pitched indeed, not very Yoona-like because of this----somewhat expecting that Changmin would leave even an untouched bone, or any leftover for that manner, her stomach wasn’t choosy anyway. But with the wide-eyed helpers stopping and greeting her, she quickly knew what kind of person Changmin was. When they said he fulfilled his wishes, they were right.

“Your highness, I thought you---”

“That man ate my fucking breakfast! I…I…Aish!” she kicked the chair in front of her. “Where is he? I’ll make him pay for it!”

She pressed her knuckles together, feisty for a woman the house cleaners thought. One bravely stepped up.

“Your majesty, we can always make you another----”

Yoona shook her head more calmly now. “Please don’t go through that trouble just because a certain glutton finished everything. Where is…that sour excuse of a prince?”

The women pointed east, where Yoona’s room was located. “He said he was going to wake you up. He requested to eat alone and we left him like that along with your sister and Krystal-ah.”

Biting her lips, Yoona gracefully bowed her head, and still in her nightgown, she treaded heavily up the staircase, with one infuriated thought. It was either he apologized or she had to pulverize that beautiful face of his.

-o0o-

Arriving finally at her doorstep, the princess noticed what was amiss. Her bedroom was opened---had she left it as so after chasing the great pathetic prince? She shut it, not very tightly but at least, she recalled, no one would enter without proper consent.

And already aware that Changmin was involved in this, she hurriedly entered her quarters, meeting the bright sun on her eyes. Why was that large window facing the door in the first place? Squinting, looking across her was Changmin in the flesh, reading a book with eyes utterly trapped within the story that he had not even glanced up at Yoona (or perhaps this was also pretends like everything else with him).

“Yah! Who in their sane mind---”

The man flipped the curtain, partly covering half of the large windows, and Yoona just couldn’t believe her eyes.

-o0o-

“Did you sleep well last night?”

With eyebrows crunched together, he looked at the visitor, yet again inside his room without permission. He pushed her face away, laughing when he finally heard her squeal.

“Yah! Yah, you can’t shove hands on a girl’s face like that!” she complained.

He stretched, sitting upright. “Khun has to stop letting you in our room.”

Victoria raised an eyebrow at him, making that face again. Her fingers swiftly fell on the man’s cheeks, pinching them out of sudden irritation. “I don’t know how I’m going to live without you.”

Kyuhyun scowled, retreating and slapping a pillow. “That sounds new. What else?”

“It’s just that…I thought a lot about it last night,” she confessed, sheepishly grinning.

“And?” Kyuhyun started getting up, taking off his shirt and searching his trunk for some new clothes. Although this was rather casual, Kyuhyun never really cared whether Victoria saw him  _differently._ “And what about last night?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she admitted to him. “Because I was worried.”

On his feet, he stopped; giving her a look so grave, it sent goosebumps up her spine. She couldn’t be serious about this, was she? He already had enough talk with Nichkhun, the way he simply told him to shrug off that awful bad feeling when doing that would have been truly impossible.

“Why?” he responded and looked at her best friend straight in the eye. Victoria, the girl who saved his life from drowning years ago, the person who has always been there to give him that slap, seemed frail, so easy of a target that he knew the more he would encounter what was yet to be known, the more she would get involved.

Victoria pouted, standing up and giving him a strong hug. He didn’t refuse her of course, even when he was totally taken aback by this action. Apart from being close, they hardly did hugs, because embraces were for sissies. Nearly teary, she laid her head on his shoulder as they swayed slowly, Kyuhyun gradually wrapping his arms around her and going along with it. No music, no words----just the two of them in his room, slow dancing and holding each other, anybody would have thought they were romantically linked.

“I just don’t want to lose you,” she quietly muttered.”I couldn’t sleep because of worry.”

He smiled, rubbing her hair like how a big brother would with a dongsaeng or maybe a pet owner to his dog. “Why were you worried? I can take care of myself.”

They stopped, Victoria staring at him. “Well, because of what happened to Princess Yoona last night. I’m worried you’ll get hurt next.”

“Why would I get---”

A knock came from the door, as the two quickly separated, eyes on Kyuhyun’s cousin. “Guys, breakfast is ready. We have a big day ahead in the docks. Better get on with it, Kyuhyun-sshi.”

Kyuhyun moved passed Nichkhun, still holding one of Victoria’s hands as they slowly exited, with his cousin’s eyes stuck on the two of them. Uneasy, his stomach did somersaults when he saw Kyuhyun and Victoria hugging each other. Nauseated could be the word, for all he knew was that Kyuhyun treated Qian much like a sister.

_“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked one of their street friends while picking apples at the nearest stand._

_Nichkhun laughed. “I want to ride horses, train one and be the best rider.”_

_Kyuhyun shoved an apple to his hyung’s mouth. “That’s stupid. I want to be a blacksmith like uncle. So that I can hold swords and slay people with it.”_

_“And Victoria?” he looked at the timid girl, skipping as she walked bare foot on the coal stained ground._

_She smiled at them. “I want to be a princess.”_

_Almost everyone laughed at a dream she playfully believed would come true, except maybe for Nichkhun who thought that that was also a very considerable thought. Why were laughing? It wasn’t that funny, really. Even Kyuhyun teased her with this, messing her brown hair. She remained quiet, keeping in the guilt, biting her lip, her eyes beginning to water._

_“That’s not much of a bad idea,” Nichkhun spoke up, looking the other way. Victoria looked up to him._

_Kyuhyun shook his head. “That’s because she likes the young Prince Changmin. I bet she’s really thinking that she would get pick someday as the next queen. Isn’t that right, Qian?”_

_“Ha! You’ll be really sorry if I become queen!” she stuck her tongue out, completely pissed. “And I do not like Prince Changmin.”_

_“Yes you do,” Kyuhyun added, pointing her red cheeks. “Look, you’re red all suddenly like this apple.”_

Nichkhun was hit by that memory, understanding now that Victoria could be right. If ever Kyuhyun found out that he was an heir to Byungmi, then it was a big possibility that he could marry Qian.

“Yah! Nichkhun-sshi! Breakfast!” yelled Kyuhyun from the kitchen.

Definitely, Nichkhun thought, he would not dare spill the beans.

-o0o-

Stopped in the middle of her speech, eyes as wide as the moon or even wider, and her mouth even hanging loosely, Yoona could not believe her eyes. She remained motionless until Changmin closed his book, approaching the girl with a scowl. He crossed his arms together, eyebrows cocking.

“Eh? Why are you here quickly?” Changmin wondered. The princess could not believe her ears, going passed him and eyeing the table.

The freshly cooked steamy crab, flowered with the right amount of sauce, beckoned her sense of smell along with the fried rice. Tomatoes. Dainty little tomatoes in a green salad obviously untouched with tea in the middle of the setting---just the things that waited for her, for where Changmin was sitting.

“A prince needs an answer,” Changmin said, annoyed.

She looked at him, pleased. “But I thought…” she smiled sheepishly, bowing her head at him and running to take her seat. The prince, unable to keep his amusement with a smile, followed her back, sitting just across her.

Yoona clasped both of her hands together, beaming in delight at all the food. Changmin nodded at her. “Yes, yes…I particularly did not know what kind of food you liked. I asked Seohyun-ah earlier and she just answered me anything. So I assumed you don’t mind having this?”

“You let me go downstairs and to the dining hall and then back again so that you can prepare this?”

Changmin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “Finally, you’re using that head of yours.”

A knock came from the door, seeing one of the palace maids bring in a cup of noodles, with boiled eggs and some vegetables in them, the smell entering Yoona’s nose as the woman set it up on the table.

Clapping like a little girl, Yoona bowed at the woman. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re a bit early coming back, though,” Changmin said. “Did you cross with Krystal along your way?”

“She was in it too?” the princess remarked. “Yes, I have but we didn’t talk too long and I was quite in a hurry in getting back.”

Her husband crossed his arms, eyes on the ceiling as if checking the back of his mind for some flaw in the plan. “I calculated exactly how long it will take for you to get down sluggishly, meet up with Krstyal, rant in the dining hall about not getting food, and then climbing up the stairs again to your room,” he said, looking at her. “Guess you were too hungry. But I made sure of the allowances and time intervals so that shocked me when you just barged in.”

A repressed laughter came from the princess. “Are you serious?”

Changmin shrugged, pouring himself some tea from the teapot. “The noodles were late by two minutes, if only you went up slower, I think I could have perfected the timing.”

Yoona giggled silently, looking at him in amazement. He was a critical-thinker, just like how her father had warned her about. He noticed the smallest things, assured that everything went according to plan---systematic perfectionist.

She bowed at him in gratitude. “Thank you for not eating my breakfast.”

Changmin chuckled, also grabbing his spoon. “But don’t you remember? I fell asleep first.”

Yoona shook her head, sipping the soup. “Oh? Then you shouldn’t be eating that. Hand it over!”

“Don’t push your luck,” Changmin responded before divulging in a good meal. She started laughing at this.

“You mean you haven’t eaten yet?”

Changmin, with serious eyes, looked straight at her, holding the noodles in between his lips. And quickly he sipped it back, accompanied by tea, and then wiped his mouth with the napkin.

“No, I haven’t.”

“Why?” interrogated Yoona, getting curious.

His eyes darted at once, as though strangling Yoona with his stare. Could she be even serious in asking him these? Was it impossible for her to just eat? That thank you from her was enough as a sign of appreciation so he really did not anymore need her to be very… _involved_  in his reasons.

 The prince slipped his hand into one of his pockets, holding out a necklace with Yoona’s ring hanging on it.

“I believe this is yours?” Changmin asked. She immediately swiped it from him, causing the man to gaze at such an odd reaction. “Thank you maybe?”

Yoona, from ecstatic, fell grimly serious. “No one’s allowed to hold it.”

“Oh…why?” Changmin replied, curious.

“It’s magical, you see.”

He snorted. “In Byungmi, are little girls born to believe in sorcery or is it just you born right side up?”

“No, I mean it,” the princess repeated. “It is mine, and it has my name written on it. It is a gift from mother and well…Seohyun and I believe that when we wear this little thing, our queen is with us all the time. She gives us all the strength we need. If it fell to the wrong hands, particularly like what happened to me last night, the beholder might take advantage of its power. A dark force wanted to take my ring,” she inhaled deeply. “The ring is only meant for the person it was destined to be with and can be dangerous to someone else. The elders in our village said that if someone else held it, without being given up whole-heartedly by the owner, the chances are he would get killed.”

“Die? Why?” Changmin was taken aback.

“Because,” Yoona continued, revealing the secret. “Because the queen wasn’t just…an ordinary woman. My mother practiced sorcery, dark sorcery even when she was younger. But after her marriage with the King she stopped. She only made these rings for our safety, our own, and when it knows that the holder is not her offspring, she would slowly take away his life. That’s why nobody is allowed to hold it for too long unless I have totally given it up.”

Changmin nodded in understanding. “Ah. The lieutenant you last danced with gave it to me just after you fainted.”

“Prince Kibum, you mean?” Yoona wondered. “He’s a lieutenant?”

“He’s a prince?” he replied, surprised.

Yoona nodded. “As far as I can remember, yes, he did tell me he was a Dongsook Prince.”

“Are you not even suspicious that something bad happened to you because of that man?”

Yoona shrugged. “Yes, I do remember him being the last one I danced with but…I really have no idea what happened after we danced. I just felt sleepy.”

“Could it be because he took your ring from you?” Changmin was huddling with suspicions. He cleared his throat. “Do you know he’s in my father’s study, being interrogated?”

Yoona stood up, perplexed. “Omo! He didn’t do anything to me, really. There is no need for such things.”

The prince raised an eyebrow. “What did you two talk about last night exactly? Were you hypnotized by that lieutenant? What things did he do to you?”

“Wait a minute…” she finally saw the reasons. The food Changmin prepared was for one purpose alone---not because he felt sorry or liked her or whatever it was that Yoona sought as romantic but because he too wanted to find the whole root of what happened last night. “May I see Kibum-sshi, then?”

“Kibum-sshi? Wow, you two have gotten close I presume?” He teased stoically, standing up and heading for the door. “Shall we then?”

Yoona grimaced. “You’re coming too?”

“Well, I am your husband,” Changmin told her. “I bet we can make some room in interrogating that lieutenant.”

“Prince, okay.” She defended. “He’s a prince.”


	9. You of All People

She couldn’t believe her ears though. Why would they do that here in Sangdokchi? For just that simple mistake, a lieutenant or a prince was immediately accused of an almost murder that Yoona did not even remember. Kibum could not do that, and so she had to for that person, she had to defend him a little while in front of her in-laws, appeal that she was definitely all right and Kibum could not hurt a fly.

“How odd it is, don’t you think?” Changmin then spitted out in the middle of their discussion. They were in the King’s study, with Changmin, another man who was assigned to interview Kibum, Yoona and Seohyun also. The sisters sat next to each other, with Yoona just holding her hand.

Kibum as sluggishly as he could expose it, say in the middle of the semi-circle form and was just waiting to get it over it---a little complacent that Yoona was around now.

“It’s odd that Yoona claims you as a prince while you told me you were a lieutenant,” he further emphasized.

Yoona nodded also, rather more sweetly than the man did and noticing this at once, Changmin made that sour look. “So...what are you exactly? Who are you exactly? ”

Kibum chuckled heartily. “I am both. And as royal leaders in the making, don’t tell me you haven’t studied the historical monarchy of our whole nation. Not just your individual kingdoms! Do you know King Jinsu of Dongsook? Do you remember him?”

As if it was a contest of getting who was the better at constitutional leaders, Changmin and Yoona raised both of their hands, voice interrupted by each other upon realizing that they were both like stray cats racing for the empty trash can.

He cleared his throat in defeat, Yoona smiling. “Yes of course! He was the former King of Dongsook who has given up his position to the new King Taehyun. His last reign was four years ago. Upon King Taehyun’s reign, the war began because he insists on power of all the nations.”

Kibum agreed at once. “Yes. So then, you do know me.”

Changmin eyed him bitterly. “I’m sorry but just cut to the chase.”

Yoona clapped both of her hands together, standing up in shock when a memory hits her. “Ah! Yes! Yes, now I do know you! You’re King Jinsu’s only son! You are a prince like you said. I remember you exactly now, back when I was younger. King Jinsu had made us sit together in the courtyard one fine morning when he and my parents dined.”

“But what makes you a lieutenant?” Prince Changmin still didn’t give up.

“Four years ago, my father was dethroned by a slowly rising tyrant. He took over Dongsook and slowly forcing all men at the age of 16 to be soldiers for a war he is preparing. He’s target? The whole nation. I wasn’t even an exception. He has put my father to prison and I was weak so he also sent me to train and be a soldier. Now that I’m nearing twenty-one, I have become a second lieutenant. My commandant has died in battle and I had run away as much as I could until the King of Sangdokchi saw me and then invited me over for the celebration. I guess he still remembers me.”

“Oh dear...” Yoona mumbled, a hand over her mouth.

“I don’t have a place to go to be honest,” he revealed, gaining much of the sisters’ sympathy. “I have always stayed with my captain and now that he has perished I believe I have no one.”

“Your family?”

“Only my father King Jinsu is alive,” Kibum said. “That’s why I travelled south in hopes that people could help me keep him alive. I have to get the throne back. I am the rightful heir.”

Yoona bobbed her head childishly. “Indeed! That was pretty unfair.”

“Call me skeptic, but I really could not accept what this man is saying,” Changmin doubted at once, shaking his head in qualm at the thoughts.

“You’re being skeptical, Prince Changmin,” Seohyun said it herself, grinning.

“You can stay here for the mean time,” Yoona suggested, getting a shocked expression from her husband. “Until the war that is, and until it’s safe for you to go back to Dongsook, until we’ve defeated Dongsook in the war.”

Kibum nearly laughed. “Omo, please...your kindness flatters me your majesty. I just can’t...”

“I also think that you deserve to stay in the palace for the meantime,” Changmin agreed, getting long stares from the Byungmi princesses. Well, look who turned out joining the team in the end, Yoona wondered clapping both of her hands. “We will have our servants to help you. I will also inform my parents about this hasty decision my lovely wife did, and see to it that you would be well here. I hope that it’s not anymore a problem?”

“Please your majesty,” Kibum almost sounded like he was begging them. “Your highness I just couldn’t...couldn’t accept such great hospitality.”

The princess stood up and looked at Kibum. “Yah! You’re staying and that’s an order from me.”

Changmin rolled his eyes while she played with her power. She had no idea how pathetic she looked right now, driving herself to force someone who wasn’t even her subjects, who was previously a prince but not degraded to a lieutenant.

“Then it’s settled!” she said, gazing at herself. She was still in her nightgown. “If you young gentlemen excuse her majesty for she needs to change into proper clothes first.”

Kibum was ahead of her, escorted by the interrogator and a few of Changmin’s personal assistants to help me him around the palace. Following them to the door, Yoona was stopped with Changmin’s irksome shoe-tapping. She turned and it made him smile. Innocent pet, now Yoona thought. She was his little pet, now wasn’t she?

“Don’t be too long,” Changmin started also getting up after a few exchange of whispers with one of his men watching over Kibum. “Yoona, be with the stallions afterwards, understand? Your horse needs tending.”

She stopped in surprise, turning to Changmin. “I...I have a horse?”

He nodded nonchalantly, crossing his arms. “Gifts from the Queen of Sangdokchi herself for our wedding. Why in the world did we leave you clothes in the bedroom so you can wear on riding her? Plus, our blacksmith is coming to hand both you and Seohyun your own swords.”

Seohyun raised her hand. “Then I would wait for the blacksmith in the archery, correct? You’ve told me earlier what to do.”

Changmin smiled at her. Seohyun was such a much easier woman to handle than Yoona, very obedient and quiet---unlike his wife who refused whatever he asks of her.

“Thank you for being such a darling, Seohyun-ah,” Changmin stated, eyeing his wife Yoona if there was any pang of envy. “I wish you were the one I married.”

By those words, Yoona twisted her lips and rolled her eyes, closing the door behind her rather harshly than she usually would. Seohyun understood perfectly what that meant, the intonation of his voice and Yoona’s harassment on the door. The younger princess giggled brightly, covering her mouth in surprise.

Changmin smirked. “Does that mean she was jealous somehow?”

“Forgive unnie, your highness,” Seohyun answered him. “She really is jealous of me more often than not because I’m always favored. It’s best that you don’t irritate her more about that idea. You’re the first man who my unnie kissed, who my unnie slept with, who my unnie would eventually grow old with. Please bear with her, Changmin-oppa. She really is a nice person.”

He shook his head with a grin. “No, Seohyun-ah. Nice refers to you. Evil, vain, and irrational is Yoona. That’s why most people like you.”

-_-_-_-

“Uncle, we would be heading to the docks now,” Kyuhyun bowed his head as a form of permission. Nichkhun was already outside in his boots, staring at the bright sun above in total appreciation. In this southern part of Sangdokchi, a little closer to the ocean, his family did not exactly grow hungry like the other classes in his town, nor did they cower and wait for blessings in the wind. But he, Kyuhyun, and Victoria knew what it felt to be with slum kids and be slum kids in the sense, and despite the wrong impressions of other people, it was enjoyable, running and running, making noises, stealing food for the poor---Robin Hood style that is.

“Yah, Kyuhyun-sshi,” Khun called. “Qian’s waiting at the port by now. We should go.”

“Coming,” he said from inside, putting on his shoes. Before another sound, his uncle was in front of him, scaring him that he stopped tying his laces and just stared. “Yes, uncle?”

The ahjusshi handed him two swords still in their sheaths. “You’re not going to the dockyard today, Kyuhyun-sshi.” After saying this, the older man sunk down into one of the seats, rubbing his back in worry. Kyuhyun took the swords anyway, watching his ankle sigh in pain.

“Aigoo, I can’t do the delivery today boy,” the old man said. “Can you do it for me? It’s due in an hour so you better hurry. They’ll be paying a very big price.”

Kyuhyun nodded obediently. “Okay. Where to, uncle?”

“The palace.”

“The palace?” he choked at the words, mockingly and surprisingly.

“No dilly-dallying, Kyuhyun-sshi,” commanded his uncle with Kyuhyun smirking.

“But I have to get to work today, too,” Kyuhyun excused, even when he badly wanted to go to the palace at a time like this.

His uncle shook his head. “Forget work just for today. The palace is dire need of seeing me to pass on the swords. Get on with it.”

“But uncle---”

“You will get half the money they will give you,” he persuaded on, almost begging him to do it. His uncle didn’t have any idea though about Kyuhyun’s secret admiration for the young Byungmi princess but all the while, he kept thinking the blacksmith did. For sure, he would be able to see her again with this surprise visit.

Nichkhun waited on him on the outside, already furious. “Yah! What took you so long?”

Kyuhyun showed him the swords and smiled. “I’ve got some other business to attend to. Uncle’s arthritis has had him sitting down today. So I was tasked to do this for him instead.”

“Oh,” said Nichkhun, the lengthened intonation of his voice. “Then after you deliver it, head to the port at once, understand? We’ll have lunch together with Qian.”

“Sure thing,” he said, bowing his head and sprinting to the other side of the town, upper east portion, but Nichkhun, completely suspecting the palace as the last place for Kyuhyun’s destination, went on believing that it was---and so he went to the docks alone today, without his dear cousin.

-_-_-_-

“How could anyone manage to wear these tight clothes?” Yoona complained, putting on her cap.

She was completely prepared for action, whatever riding a horse action that is, with the attire chosen for her. Brown pairing coat and some boots too, complemented with the hairstyle given to her. With her ladies accompanying her to the ranch, she held her breathe at the sight of the yard. The size for practice grounds was of the norm, same like other kingdoms but sadly in Byungmi, she had not experienced this at all. She tried riding one only once before, when she was seven as part of a wedding, and that was when the horse was walking at snail’s pace.

Maybe she didn’t want a horse after all.

“Your majesty, this is your horse,” introduced the lady behind her, pointing at the young fair ‘beast’ in front of them. Its hair was a little tawny, with chocolate brown skin, sniffing and huffing when they neared it.

“Are you sure this isn’t Seohyun’s?” she pulled on that joke, smiling to herself in a frightened way as her hand found its way to the horse’s mouth. Tickling her with its tongue, Yoona giggled. “What should I call you? Are you a he or a she?”

“She’s a she.”

Coming out as a startle, Changmin was already right behind her, focusing on giving his own horse some carrots. They were across each other now, the maids slowly bowing their heads and leaving the two to their own conversations.

His horse on the other hand stood taller and more masculine, pure white with snowy hair. It licked the prince in the cheek after the carrot, in which the prince also acknowledged.

“Your horse is my horse’s wife,” he told her. Yoona and her humor came out of those words, chortling undeniably.

“Wow, I didn’t know horses for forced to marry each other too,” she remarked, combing her horse.

Changmin scowled. “How could you? You only think the world revolves around you.”

He pulled on his horse’s tie slowly, guiding the animal out of the barn and into the open, leaving Yoona to gap at the comment in astonishment. The nerve of him, she thought, also doing her best to untie her horse. After five minutes in attempt of doing so, she successfully freed her, and they made their way out.

“Have you ever tried riding a horse, Yoona?” Changmin called, handing her the seat saddle as he adjusted his unto the pet. She shook her head demurely “Oh, I forgot! This is Dongho by the way.” He tapped the horse’s side, mounting on top of him quickly.

Yoona fretted over putting the seat on top of the horse, especially that they weren’t that close yet. What if her horse ran away and went out of control in the middle of her practice? How could she handle that, anyway?

“Come on,” Changmin whined, staring at her still below. “It’ll be boring riding a horse and strolling around the palace alone. Hurry up.”

Getting it quick and somewhat secured, Yoona had gone up, holding the horse very tightly and a little afraid. Oh, that was fast.

“Okay,” she nodded nervously, holding on to the ropes. “What’s my horse’s name again?”

“Sunmi,” the prince told her, tugging the horse to his left and away from Yoona, getting a head start at the stroll. “Bring your horse to follow me. She’s good with strangers so you’re lucky.”

“Lucky,” mumbled Yoona. “Lucky that I can’t ride as good as you because I would have you outraced!”

“Pardon?”

Yoona bit her lip, looking at the sky. “Such a beautiful day, don’t you think, Changmin?”

“Eh, don’t just...’Changmin’ me,” he retorted. “I’m older. At least use something different.”

“You call me by my first name without anything added to it, so why can’t I do it with yours?”

Changmin shook his head. “Yeah, right. Keep playing.”

 _“Chagiya_!” Yoona called him playfully when his back was turned. It meant ‘honey’ in Korean, very sweet among couples, but to Changmin, it was disturbing.

“Yah! Not that kind of way!” he answered, laughing. “Very funny... _Chagiya!_ ”

Silence. After such time of teasing, silence. Changmin was ahead of her, eyeing the place with no further comment or remark, remembering his younger years riding his stallion around it.

“It was just me and Krystal, you know,” he started, Yoona looking at him.

“Pardon?”

Changmin rolled his eyes, looking over his shoulder. “Seriously, you don’t listen to a word I say, do you?”

Sunmi was able to catch up with the other horse, so Yoona could see eye to eye with him better, and she frowned at him.

“I am,” she said. “What about you and Krystal?”

He smiled nostalgically. “We rode horses even in the winter.”

“Seohyun and I have never tried riding horses before,” Yoona told him honestly. “So, this would be my second time doing this.”

“But we hardly do it together now,” he said, making her look up to him. “That’s why riding horses has become boring to me when it used to be the most exciting pastime Krystal and I would do.”

“I think it’s frightening,” Yoona let out a repressed laugh with Changmin rolling her eyes.

“Have you tried sailing a boat before?”

She shook her head before Changmin added, “Oh yes, I forgot. You lived in boring Byungmi that doesn’t know the smell of the ocean when they see it.”

“Have you discussed about Kibum-sshi’s stay with the King?”

Changmin looked at her, intimidating the girl. The atmosphere around him overwhelmed her, eyes so intense and deeply cut. “Yes, they think that it’s okay. Also because my father and King Jinsu were friends before so I guess he too wants the old King back to the throne of Dongsook.”

Before she could speak, her horse Sunmi stopped, and the princess’s eyes moved from her horse to the person halting their adventure. Changmin’s chuckle faded, and with those emotionless eyes, he remained calm of the situation---going from his wife the princess to the known visitor.

Getting off Dongho, the Prince Changmin cleared his throat at the gauche state. He held his hand to Yoona, as she grabbed it and got off quietly with a small feeble smile. She bowed her head as the other woman did so.

“Your majesty,” the young lady said, afterwards looking up at Changmin.

“Yoona,” he said slowly. “I believe you haven’t met one of my friends. This is Sooyoung.”

She nodded. “How are you, Sooyoung-ah?”

The girl grinned at Changmin. “I should ask you that your highness. I really had no idea what happened to you last night until the rumors spread about.”

Yoona bowed at her. “Thank you for your concern. I feel much better today, thanks.”

Sooyoung giggled. “Actually, Changmin and I are quite close if you count it---the best of friends, ne?”

Changmin shook his head, glowering. “Don’t believe a word she says.”

“Do you know why he’s training you to ride the horse?” Sooyoung asked, nearing the princess.

Innocently, she shook her head. “Not exactly.”

“For his birthday,” Sooyoung started, eyeing the other man with a gleeful smile. “Because it’s customary to have the next king and queen ride horses together across a small aisle. I don’t exactly know why it’s so important to tradition but that’s it.”

“I see,” she mused, leaving her mind to wander how nerve-wracking that could be if she embarrassed herself around the people. “Oh, then Sooyoung...”

“Yes?”

“Are you doing anything right now?” Yoona wondered while in reply the other woman shook her head. “Then, would you like to have tea with us at the courtyard? In fact, now that is because Seohyun-ah might already be there, waiting for us, right, Changmin?”

“Prince Changmin,” he murmured. “Yes, of course.”

“It’s a lot farther from here though---”

“We could take the horses,” Yoona suggested carelessly, seeing a disappointed Changmin behind Sooyoung. “If...my prince is not ill at ease with it.”

Changmin pretended to smile. “If my princess is not that stupid to realize that Sooyoung does not have her horse right now.”

“Then she could ride with me,” she proposed, holding on to Sunmi’s rope.

A near snort came out of Changmin’s lips. “Yes, and get killed with your pathetic handling.”

“Does apology exist in your vocabulary, good sir? Does it? Can I use it now? For my abysmal incompetence?”

Sooyoung laughed, clapping her hands and putting a hand on Changmin’s shoulder. “That’s all right, your majesty. I can always go with his highness.”

Yoona agreed nonchalantly. “Then, shall we go?” She mounted her horse eventually before seeing that Changmin also did the same, his arms extending to the girl below.

“Race?” Changmin teased his wife, Yoona sticking her tongue out. Even when Changmin really had no intention of doing it, Yoona’s horse galloped a lot faster, her fierce kicking against the ground---and far from Changmin’s expectations, Yoona didn’t squeal or scream like a little girl. Ahead, she slowed down, focused.

Sooyoung sat in front of him, holding the ropes for him. “You’re being mean to her, do you know that?”

Changmin smirked, placing his head on the girl’s shoulder. “She’s not you. Why would I be?”

“Can’t you ever give her some time to fit in? It hasn’t even been a week,” she recommended, getting a long pause from the man.

“It’s still isn’t fair,” he mumbled, breathing against her neck. “It’s still not fair that we’re stuck with each other when we’re bound to be in love with other people.”

“And if Yoona doesn’t love anyone? If Yoona falls...falls in love with you?” Sooyoung asked, a little shaky.

He gripped both of her hands. “That’s why I want her to hate me, to abhor the man she married so that she will stop, and I can be with you.”

“Meany Changmin!” she said, smiling.

-_-_-_-

He climbed up the steps when the guards showed him the way. The palace was definitely large and vast, its size incomparable to the outside that Kyuhyun lived in. He couldn’t track down the archery field, where he was going to be met up by Prince Changmin himself. He could get used to this stuff---delivering swords to handsome and wealthy families in the kingdom and then getting tips or some sort of other valuable returns.

He exited the high walls and into the open space, where the said archery was, and before he knew it, an arrow was striking close to him in a blink of an eye. Performing an impossible, Kyuhyun was able to grab the arrow and missed a strike.

“Omo! Omo! Omo!” shouted one of the nurses, heading towards Kyuhyun in wonder.

She bowed at him in apology, checking his hand or head or wherever else if it hit. “Are you okay, sir? Are you sure? Are you hurt?”

Kyuhyun couldn’t even mutter all right with all the fussing before his eyes fell on the woman, a quarter of a mile away, running towards them with an unease look. Even when Kyuhyun knew that she couldn’t see and she relied on her ears very much, he still found her to be as lovely as any dumpling, as any swan, as any star in the sky that lit the entire world.

“Seohyun-ah!” he excitedly called her, Seohyun slowing down and recognizing that voice.

“Kyuhyun...Kyuhyun-oppa, right? The one I danced from last night?”

He nodded, bowing his head. “It’s good to see you again, your majesty.”

“Are you hurt? Did my arrow hit you?” she asked him.

Cupid’s arrow perhaps coming from her did, but he chuckled anyway at this. “No, thankfully. It’s okay.”

“What are...you doing here, though?” Seohyun asked, holding his arm as they started walking forward, without much of thought out destination that is. “Hope you don’t mind. I was bored and waiting for the blacksmith to hand us our swords.”

Kyuhyun snickered. “That’s the whole purpose why I’m here, your majesty.”

“You’re...a blacksmith?” she questioned, excited about knowing the wait was over. “Then...do you have our swords with you?”

Without anymore further interruptions, Kyuhyun gave it to her, smiling. “Here they are.”

Seohyun, without her eyes, unraveled the object, only making Kyuhyun gasp at the beauty. It was made out of the strongest metal his uncle had once lectured him about, paired with a golden handle fit for a lady, enough grip that would be worth it. The marble in the middle enhanced more of its charms and such swords were not merely made out of money. His uncle really worked hard for it.

“It’s...gorgeous,” he mumbled, gulping.

Seohyun nodded, her small fingers caressing the surface. “I wonder where unnie is and why she isn’t back.”

As she swiftly turned to her left, Kyuhyun finally laid eyes on it---smaller in length than his own but compellingly alike in appearance as his. With the light glimmering towards it, he noticed how the same characters were written in it, as Qian read his to be ‘Byungmi’. The ring looked about the same size as his, hanging around her neck.

“If you don’t mind me,” he nervously stammered out the words, scared of the truth that would soon be told. “But...the ring around your neck...it’s very pretty.”

She bowed at him, holding it with her free hand while the other one was still gripping the sword. “Thank you. I find it very pretty as well.”


	10. Danger and its Companion

Impatient, he tapped his foot on the slippery wooden ground, looking up at the sun to see how high had it gotten, and that time was ticking endlessly. He inspected the other men now, he unable to carry any load himself. With eyes still searching the port because perhaps his dongsaeng had gone up with pranks again, Nichkhun saw her instead and therefore approached with an uneasy question mark across his face.

“Victoria! Hey, Victoria!” With an apple on her mouth, she titled her head in wonder.

“Where’s Kyuhyun-oppa?”

“That was something I wanted to ask you too,” he admitted, worried.

Victoria pursed her mouth. “But...wasn’t he tasked to deliver swords today?”

He nodded, knowing that fact. “Yes, and I told him to come back at once after delivering it. It must not be that far, for crying out loud, right? It had taken him three hours already. And it’s lunch.”

She handed him her other extra apple. “Then shall we eat without him? Mom has cooked a meal for us. Let’s go, then?”

“And what about Kyuhyun?”

“He’ll find his way home,” Victoria said nonchalantly, turning her back on Nichkhun and walking passed the men carrying loads of carts back and forth the boats. Uneasy, Nichkhun followed the woman back to her home, his mind still distracted as to where the child could be off this time, like how they ended up rescuing Kyuhyun from the strong tides ten years back. It was mistake he wished to never make after letting Kyuhyun out of his sight. Of course, that was when Kyuhyun barely had any idea about living in the outside world---yet that is, his thinking was still that of a child even at an age of 18.

-_-_-_-

More relaxed than minutes earlier, she took off her gloves, showing off the white palms underneath that looked rather scratched. Those frail delicate hands that probably had never worked in her entire life, Kyuhyun thought, except archery or sword holding if that would even be considered as work. Yet the princess was very astounding to look at it indeed, he further on noticed.

Her eyebrows were perfect symmetry; hair curled and braided mid-length, almost reaching her hips, upon that sporty attire that made her appear tougher than she was inside. The soft features on her face were now clear and much detailed than last night, Kyuhyun observed, for now the sun was out and refreshed.

Eyes with deep ends and a bit dark, cheeks as a subtle addition to flawlessness, and lashes that batted every time she started opening her mouth---how could his friend Qian be not as beautiful as the princess? Well, Victoria was pretty, but...seeing Seohyun made a lot of difference now to his definition. Her eyes were the most striking thing in the whole universe, the way they just twinkled and glistened, same sparkle that he had seen even before he had actually laid eyes on Seohyun in the first place. But where? He just couldn’t remember anymore.

Her lips! Restrained thin line of pinkish rosy lips tamed him that fine morning---for every time she talked, her lips moved so gracefully, so willingly. How were they at kissing? Aish, Kyuhyun had to snap out of it.

“Where you...listening to me, though?”

“Huh?” his eyes widened at the conversation. “Oh, yes I was. Of course, your majesty.”

Seohyun scowled. “No, I recognize that tone when my maids talk to me that way. You’re lying to me.”

“I am not,” Kyuhyun snickered lightly, making Seohyun grin. “Okay, so yes your majesty, I absolutely did not understand a word you just discussed.” Tea arrived just as that, the maids handing the tray in the middle of their table.

Her laughter became a drug, the man completely pausing and just admiring the music. “That’s the first that someone admitted to me they were lying.”

“Well, we can’t always get away with it,” Kyuhyun explained to her, drinking now the warm tea. It had a delightful tinge of lime in it too, geez these royal people knew nothing of taste. “Hmm, pretty good tea.”

Seohyun also took a sip on her cup, then afterwards replying. “I hate it. But I hate liars more, though.”

“Caught me in the act, yet again,” he played along, a little amazed at the girl’s ability to catch on quickly. “Darling, they call it irony in Britain and in the West side countries. Have you heard of it?”

“Mockery, you mean?” she responded, remembering a book she once read as a child. “It’s a diverse language, but I’m forbidden to use it when I’m around the palace.”

Kyuhyun frowned. “I can see why you people here are all stiff and rough on the edges. You don’t get to have as much fun as street talkers like us. That practically is my childhood.”

“Cursing and mocking,” Seohyun mumbled. “They’re two of my unnie’s favorite things to do when she feels like disobeying his highness, the King of Byungmi.” The princess found it impossible to hide her joy at a memory. “My sister has actually been scolded and told that she would fit well with less-classed people. I really found it hilarious because unnie actually bargained to leave her throne. She was 15 then.”

“Your sister sounds like a...troublemaker for a princess,” Kyuhyun mused. “And she’d be the next queen of Sangdokchi.”

Seohyun, with her face glazed by the sun’s beams, agreed, getting her cupping. “She is. She is most definitely a ‘menace’, as my father calls it. It was either because the queen was still playing witchcraft while bearing unnie or that she was a gift from the goddess of mischief. There are many tales as to why Yoona-unnie is like this. But actually none of them was true.”

Kyuhyun looked up again, deep into her eyes, wishing his hardest and praying for a miracle that she would be looking back at him too. “Oh, and then what is the truth? Do you know?”

Hesitant, she bit her lower lip. “Do you know about Byungmi’s sad past?”

“I’m sorry, I’ve never been to Byungmi,” he answered her. Nichkhun’s words and his uncle’s thoughts returned at once. “Wait, I was born there but we immediately moved here afterwards. I’ve never met my parents because my mother died and my father was burned down in his own house. I was a lucky survivor, uncle says. So they adopted me, along with their son Khun who is my cousin. He’s...weird. We’re the same age but he’s older for some couple of months. I was trained to call him hyung though, but yes, we’re both 18 years old as of now since February came.”

“Well, you must have at least heard about the prince, right?” Seohyun interrupted, hands over her knees.

Kyuhyun was clueless, shaking his head. “No, I’m sorry.”

“The missing prince, he was dubbed to be,” Seohyun, narrating excitedly, talked as it has been centuries since she had opened a topic about the mysterious brother. “He disappeared or---according to Yoona-unnie---kidnapped one night eighteen years ago, said to be a witch who was the one who helped in granting my parents an offspring. Well, I really don’t know the whole story because unnie wishes to forget it but couldn’t, and so she tells me instead but ends up getting irritated and leaves.

“Anyway,” she sighed, feeling rather tired. It had been a while since she had actually become talkative, and just about anything perhaps. “My unnie...believes he’s...still alive until today, only we don’t know where to find him...” she fiddled with her ring now, making Kyuhyun look at her in sympathy.

He bobbed his head like a young boy, understanding somewhat the problem. “Then if you find the prince, he would be the one ruling on Byungmi, correct?”

“And we won’t be treated like useless heirs, yes precisely.”

“But since he’s gone, you’re the one who would take over that kingdom, right? Since your unnie is assigned to Sangdokchi,” Kyuhyun stated, Seohyun clapping her hands, very impressed.

The princess grinned at him. “Wow, you’re good. But this must not go out, okay? It’s our secret. And really, my sister has many ambitions. One of this as you can see is finding the prince. It’s her reason for behaving very antagonistic towards authority. She hates how people do not anymore acknowledge the prince as part of the royal family.”

The man sighed inwardly. “That must be harsh.” He gulped, taking one long stare, a chanceful stare at Seohyun as she toyed with the ring around her neck. “And I suppose the ring has something to do with the prince, too?”

Seohyun smiled deliberately, putting images of his father in his younger years. Well, he could actually pull off as the prince, now could he? Dark brown eyes, not as large but actually a bit doe-eyed like Yoona and the cheeks, pallid pink taints on those cheeks. He could have looked like him. And maybe added with her mother’s prominent nose bridge---ah simply stunning her brother could have been.

“Your majesty,” interrupted one of the maids, bowing her head at the two of them. Kyuhyun’s eyebrows rose awkwardly, feeling that he really had no place for this politeness anywhere. “I’m sorry to cut the conversation but his highness Prince Changmin has entered the courtyard.”

Seohyun stood up at once, Kyuhyun just following what she did. Later the gates where he entered were open a bit wider, as two horses strode in the center aisle, one where the other Byungmi princess, an uninterested scowl on her face, sat upon while the other was the Sangdokchian prince, himself and another woman driving on the white stallion.

Yoona alighted off Sunmi, nearing Seohyun with a beam. “I rode a horse today,” she told the dongsaeng happily.

Seohyun laughed. “And how was it? How did you take it? Why are we whispering?”

Kyuhyun’s eyes had fallen not on the two sisters but on the two other people behind them, where the prince had just easily hopped off his stead, a hand hurriedly supporting the lady that has ridden with him. Strange, Kyuhyun dismally viewed. If they were lacking horses in the first place, should it not have been Yoona and Changmin together in one stallion instead of another woman by his side? Or rather, would had that been awkward in the least for Yoona to see her man with this...stranger even Kyuhyun, someone from Sangokchi, had not even laid eyes on?

Already getting a strong appeal of hatred from the prince, the blacksmith’s nephew bowed his head in sorry and greeting.

“Come now, let us have our lunch instead of tea,” Changmin called with that powerful voice the two darling Byungmi girls, with Sooyoung not ever leaving his side. The maids waiting on them, two of which were startled to hear the man demand of them, scrambled and pivoted to the kitchen at once, hurriedly informing the other workers to serve them their meal, making extra also for the visitors around.

“Omo, I almost forgot,” Seohyun said out of the silent blue. “This is my friend, Kyuhyun-oppa who had brought the swords along.”

Changmin looked at him, scrutinizing his features. “If I’m not mistaken, the blacksmith was a lot...older looking.”

He chuckled. “Ah, your highness. The blacksmith’s my uncle. He’s tired today so I did the errand for him.”

“Then...” Changmin made those hand gestures, pointed somewhat to the gates, emphasizing also with his lips. “Shouldn’t you be off after doing your job? I believe you will receive the payment once you exit.”

Yoona took Seohyun’s arm, pulling her slowly away, a little distant from the visitor and then, the unnie whispered, “Seohyun-ah, I think it’s not yet best to talk to strangers.”

“But I won’t make friends that way,” she mumbled back. Kyuhyun then bent down to Changmin, apologetic yet somehow still having that mocking look in his eyes.

“I’m sorry your majesty,” he told him, looking straight at Changmin. “I would be leaving then.”

“No! Stay for lunch.” The other princess, as much as it also made a last impression on her unnie and brother-in-law, talked back, suggesting something quite bizarre of an idea to consider.

“Seohyun-ah,” Changmin smiled, pretending as always. Maybe it was his way to trick his voice into speaking lighter towards the younger girl. “Why don’t you call on Krystal, instead? That girl might forget about lunch again.”

Out of place, and that he knew of course, Kyuhyun gave them a sweet smile, particularly something Seohyun might have liked to see, an often trademark of his. Sarcasm and lying, she always associated the two. Could have she known he was being mocking towards the royal family? Would she have noticed it once if she were able to see? He strolled out, steps larger and wider, somewhat showing how irked he was to be around these people.

“Oh! Kyuhyun-oppa! Wait!” Seohyun shouted before he could leave. His boots spinning around, Kyuhyun turned with a pompous nod that Changmin had now doubted. He saw how Yoona constantly held onto her little sister’s wrist, worried, frightened, and troubled that she might run off to a man who was not only a stranger to the family but also a goddamn peasant who had forgotten his place in society.

“Yes, your majesty?” he called back loudly, for distance already came in between.

Assured that he was still around, Seohyun’s eyes glistened brightly in bliss. “Oppa, please come by Prince Changmin’s birthday...” she trailed off, due to the unbearable silence surrounding her until her smile faded. “If it is all right with his highness.” Changmin glaring at his wife, Yoona controlling her sister, and Sooyoung hastily sitting before the others and admiring the food being prepared, the scenario felt even more awkward as time progressed. With a pitiful gaze from Yoona as a sign of defeat, Changmin eventually gave up, mumbling to Seohyun, “Yes, he is allowed.”

Kyuhyun’s image cracked, grinning now with his head down, amused that they had a short conference for it. “I don’t know. I’ll have to see if I can squeeze it in my schedule, though. I’m quite a busy man, rather always in demand. It’s conflicting.”

“Smart-assed pauper,” grumbled Changmin under his breath, Yoona kicking his ribs squarely to keep his mouth shut and just take a seat.

She held her thumb out brightly, winking from afar. That made Kyuhyun’s heart squeal in delight. “I understand perfectly. From  _Britain_  with love, then!”

He smirked. “From  _Britain_  with love, your majesty.” And Kyuhyun left hastily, quickly, like a ninja, like lightning. In a flash, he disappeared, with a rather extraordinary smirk across his face. He scratched his head upon the exit, halting and musing about what had just happened. Turning into a grin, he grabbed his ring now, holding and kissing it. It was a charm, really. From Britain with love, had he just made a conversation with Princess Seohyun just now? And was she requesting he stay?

“Was he from Britain? I don’t...really understand,” Yoona’s words were also garbled.

Seohyun giggled as she sat beside her unnie. “You know what that means. Trust me, you yourself unnie is wonderful at it.”

The earlier empty eight-seated rectangular table was now filled with marvelous meals for their lunch. Again, Yoona noticed, the usual fish was around, and those mushy crabs of course---salad again, and some fruits in the middle of the setting. Changmin took his place to Yoona’s right, Sooyoung across him, already eyeing which one to munch on first.

“At what?” the girl looked at Seohyun but attention then diverted to the other princess entering, her black hair braided. Bowing her head almost sluggishly like she always did to each one, she stopped when her eyes fell on the one sitting across Changmin, the outsider who made her blood boil the other night. Krystal eyed Yoona, as if questioning her how she could let this woman be at the same dining area as they were, when she was not even royalty. Did she know about Changmin’s secret affairs?

Sooyoung waved. “Eh Krystal.”

She smiled, shaking her head and taking the seat across Seohyun. “Just avoid talking to me, please or I’ll have you---”

“Krystal!” Changmin scolded, shaking his spoon in the air. “Treat her as a guest.”

“She better treat me like a princess and I’ll treat her like one,” answered the other girl. The two Byungmi princesses on the other hand, both unaware of the previous unpleasant incidents between the three, remained silent all through the meal, exchanging ideas perhaps with each other but not bothering to make a simple squeak in case the others might give them glares too.

“Prince Kibum,” Yoona said in an instant with concern. Like a child, the princess nudged her husband, with him still quite busy. Changmin, discussing with Sooyoung something serious, looked to his side at once, remembering the boy.

“Aigoo, I’ve forgotten,” he whispered to her. Yoona looked at him, his face ever so blasé when he said this. A finger out, Changmin called one of his servants as he neared. “Please get the other visitor.”

-_-_-_-

“Omo, where have you been?” questioned his hyung with much distress, seeing the boy coming to docks all bright and a little pink. Kyuhyun scowled at him, ignored his concern, and on took a crate off the side. Nichkhun was more than displeased. “Did you know how Victoria and I worried so much of you?”

Victoria entered, a pencil stacked behind her ear with papers in her hands. She smiled at Kyuhyun in greeting, while the other man bowed his head upon her presence. “It was only Khun, actually. He’s been having bad moods all morning worrying when you’d come back.”

He smirked, turning his back to face him. “Hyung, I’m not ten. Relax. I just went to the palace to visit thy princesses.”

The most impossible happened. How could he? Was he that stupid all for that young princess he liked? Was Kyuhyun out of his mind? The scene was still fresh; he just could not barge in there like it was nothing, without getting any kind of hurt from the so called nightmare Kyuhyun would often have. Now that it was in Sangdockhi and not anymore by the Baekham Bridge, no doubt, it could recognize the other missing prince of Byungmi. Indescribable enough.

“Why...what? What were you doing? I thought you were---”

“Let me finish,” Kyuhyun interrupted, holding his hand out. “I was delivering swords for the princesses. I haven’t seen uncle make such fine swords in centuries! You should have seen them. They were beyond gorgeous, goodness. I don’t know where to start.”

Relieved that at least nothing happened or no revelation about him being a crowned heir sufficed, Nichkhun puffed his cheeks, hands on his waist. “Just...inform us first before you decide to go anywhere.”

“What are you, my mom?” he remarked snidely. Moving passed a gaping Qian, Kyuhyun went on with his job as though nothing ever happened.

Khun shook his head, exasperated, blood boiling. “I will really tie a ribbon around his wrist and connect it with mine.”

She giggled at this. “He’s right, you know. Let him be free a little. And besides, you’re not his mom.”

“Just his cousin,” he grumbled. Nichkhun sighed at what he said. Yes, it was true. He was just a  _cousin,_  and he had no right to be taking over Kyuhyun’s life like it was his own. There was just something in him, that shade of anxiety in him telling Nichkhun not to let the boy out of his sight. It worried him to no extent that if Kyuhyun was alone or that he was out of his hands, the nightmare Kyuhyun feared the most would come back, taking him away, suffocating and strangling him until the ring was taken away. That was what frightened him. If he could only tell, as if it would not complicate things anymore, he would all for the sake of Kyuhyun avoiding his visit to the palace. But he knew that was crazy, very stupid.

But eventually he had to tell Kyuhyun.

“Aish, I forgot,” Kyuhyun said, coming back to his hyung and bringing Qian from behind, tagging along. “We were invited to Prince Changmin’s 20th birthday.”

Victoria, eyes widened, clapped her hands together. “Are you serious? Prince Changmin’s birthday? The one where they ride the horses and light paper lanterns into the sky?”

Nichkhun frowned. “Disguises?”

“Invited,” Kyuhyun stressed. “We were invited. No need for disguises.”

“But they’re not going to let us in when we look like workers from the docks,” he exclaimed, making it too obvious that this was not a night he wished to get involved yet again. “That’s right,  _we do_.”

Kyuhyun scorned. “Then don’t come if you don’t want to.” He looked at Victoria, knowing that she would always side with him. “But you’re going with me, right Qian?”

Happily, she nodded, sticking her tongue out at the other man. “Of course, Kyuhyun-oppa! I’ll go! This sounds fun.”

Nichkhun rolled his eyes, whacking his cousin’s back, which was repaid with the same intensity on his arm. And before anybody knew it, the two boys were both snickering. “You’re becoming stubborn, you know.”

“Just admit that you can’t resist me,” Kyuhyun smugly added.

_I just could not let you out of my sight._

-_-_-_-

A book in his hand and wearing someone else’s working clothes, he entered the courtyard rather tired and sleepy, exhausted eyes that loomed over the others. The future queen herself stood up, giving up her seat for the newbie but this action was later criticized with Changmin’s eyes.

“Yoona, sit down,” he demanded of her, yet he looked on his food, picking the carrot out of the greens and eating it at once.

“But Prince Kibum doesn’t have a place,” she said, approaching the prince. With her hands on his shoulders, Yoona drove Kibum to sit on her spot, but the boy, still denying it smiled at Yoona in thanks.

“Please your highness, I must not,” Kibum declined, knowing that the prince would hate him more. He spotted the seat next to Krystal, now busying herself with the food; and so he pointed there to divert Yoona’s attention. “I’ll seat next to Princess Krystal.”

The younger princess looked up, surprised. “A peasant? Sit with me?”

“Manners, Krystal,” Changmin corrected, his gaze on his almost empty plate. If he dared to stare at Kibum when he talked great of him, he might just start lying. “He’s a lieutenant and a prince of Dongsook, mind your manners.”

She pouted, waving her fork. “You sir need to get a life.”

Kibum found his place then, looked at Yoona for some thank you while Changmin rolled his eyes off, apparently done now with his meal. “Thank you, your majesty for having me over.”

“It’s nothing, really,” Yoona answered shyly. “Please, make use of the palace as if it was your own.”

“Wow, giving out authority when she has just lived in Sangdokchi for six days,” Changmin winced, Sooyoung laughing at that comment, Seohyun repressing hers.

Yet Yoona ignored, focused on Kibum by then, and noticed. He looked so harmless, so far from being dangerous or someone who would beat her up or have her killed. His features were angelic, retiring demeanor in fact---something that you could not make out from a lieutenant. Fierce yet soft eyes, gentle lips that woke a memory of the dear princess, although a memory which was long been buried. He was shy and timid and rather demure to actually participate in a battle with guns and fire and swords---why, he was indeed more fitting to be a King, just seated in his throne, addressing commoners and ordering new laws. And he should be soon enough when the battle ends. Yoona wanted to add that to her to-do list.

“I’m sorry,” Yoona added, eyeing him. “We will get you new clothes. Why don’t my husband lend you some of his---”

“Forget it, you take him to a tailor,” Changmin snapped back at once, getting a few knocks of laughter here and there. Yoona grinned at him, all of her teeth seemingly shown and then bit her lip.

“And you have to participate also in his birthday,” Yoona suggested to the quiet prince, getting a head start on the crabs. “And yes, we’ll treat you like family. You can Krystal’s personal tutor in handling weaponry too.”

“Or you to both of us,” Seohyun blurted out of nowhere. “Yes, that sounds fascinating already.”

Yoona, joyous at the ideas streaming to her at the moment, clapped her hands, standing up and exchanging places with Seohyun so that she was closer to Kibum now than earlier. Surprised that she was near, Kibum looked up, and for a long time, despite how at the corner of his eye he saw Changmin’s quick glances at him and the princess, he saw her eyes glisten in marvel, mouth going along with excitement.

And then he saw her ring dangling on her neck that also had glistened.


	11. Friendship is an Open Door

Days passed on ordinarily, and a week and half flew, too quiet and not so extreme, just some usual duties here and there. Although the coronation of handing down the throne to the next generation had yet postponed until the war of nations ended, the future rulers were always coordinated and lead to learn their fundamentals frequently when they had time.

“I’ll have his head off,” Changmin grumbled, Yoona rolling her eyes at the silence-breaker. Seated just the two of them inside the library of the palace, the two were waiting for nearly two hours for their tutor to enter through those doors, walk in with old boring etiquettes for monarchs, and a bunch of other mathematics Yoona would sleep through every class.

Changmin, his head propped by a finger at his temple, legs crossed and mind practically jaded, sighed heavily. “For crying out loud, we can’t wait for the Pleistocene era to occur again, my goodness! It’s the 17th Century, we have clocks and watches now, don’t we?”

Yoona groaned, getting up. “Why so impatient? That means we don’t have classes this morning. Shall we go out now?”

“Yah! You stay,” he pulled her arm when she stood, grabbing her back to her chair as he on the other hand went to the other side of the room, hastily pulling out some books like the mad man Yoona had never seen him to be.

“Oi!”

Changmin took about five large books; excitement almost if Yoona was not mistaken, was seen written on his face. He wobbled towards her, as she a bit worried he would hurt himself, helped in laying them out. One was geography, another history, two were some philosophical politics, one was purely Mathematics and the other was Anatomy science. He let out a short chuckle, waiting for Yoona to say something.

“We’re going to read without the tutor?” she made a guess after seconds of completely stillness.

“He is not our King, so why not?” he smirked, taking out a personal favorite of his from the five. “We can read separately in our rooms. I mean, I bet he won’t be coming now anyway. At least, if he ever quizzes us tomorrow, we’ll be ready for him, right?”

“Right,” she grinned, though she found it rather funny of an idea to be studying independently, rather than doing it together. “But...how can you be sure he’s going to take up these topics today?”

“Well, he said so yesterday,” Changmin replied, opening the history book. “Or we could quiz each other on this once we’re done reading. I’ll get a head start with Chapter 6 of this History book while you read Machiavelli. How about it?”

Picking up politics, she looked at her prince walking away again. “Shouldn’t we stay here instead?”

“Upon contrary belief, I’m always not in the mood to study when I’m in the library,” he responded, waving without looking back as he exited the place. “I’ll be back in an hour to quiz you while you can also give me one on the dynasties of Korea, understand Yoona?”

She grimaced and flopped back to her seat, opening the book that contained some important understandings about politics and its philosophical characteristics. Machiavelli, eh? Yoona scanned the pages of the book, reading portions of the man’s life and works dedicated to the art of ruling.

It was entitled  _The Prince_ , which was one of his well-known literary works. He wrote, as now Yoona read on, to achieve his status back in the Florence Republic, even under the rule of the Medici clan. But before she could reach the end of his life story, someone was seated in front of her, giving her that little startle.

“Gah!” She shrieked, putting the book on the table and her hand wisped in the air playfully almost in attack against him. “Don’t...scare me like that.” She smiled afterwards.

He too looked apologetic, lowering his head down in grace. “Sorry, your majesty. I was by the astronomy section, reading a good book on the floor when I heard the door slam shut. I thought I saw Prince Changmin and then I followed but later on, found you here all alone.”

“Your first time here in the library, correct Kibum?” Her voice was a lot calmer than earlier but the man seemed still a bit frightened.

He nodded attentively like a small boy. “Yes, your majesty.”

“We have our classes here every now and then,” Yoona told him. “What were you doing here?”

“Reading up on the stars and a small bit about the universe, I thought I could start there,” he gazed at the book settled between the two of them, eyeing it curiously. “Machiavelli? You shouldn’t be reading on him, your highness if it’s on the basis of governing Sangdokchi.”

Yoona frowned, hastily shoving it to the side. “I know right? Who needs to read these? I mean, they’re not even worth the time. I should be doing archery with Seohyun or even reading better books like Shakespeare. I should be riding Sunmi or even playing around in the throne room. This is tiresome shit, being a princess I mean...”

The way she talked senselessly, her eyes batting and widening every now and then, Kibum couldn’t help but laugh at her words, amazed still at how as she seemed to be not as careful as Krystal or as charming in etiquette like Seohyun. With his reaction, she stopped talking, thinking to herself if she said something funny, selfish, or rather offensive. Seohyun had told her to be very chary in talking; that was why her younger sister barely talked because of judgment. Was Kibum chuckling at her ignorance? Or was it the way she pronounced her t and s? Was it out of mockery even?

Ceasing finally, he looked at her again in sorry. “I’m sorry, your majesty. I just found it amusing hearing you talk like that.”

Yoona smiled. “It is forbidden but...I like forbidden things, to begin with. And besides, tell me how one cannot curse ever in his entire life.”

“Indeed,” Kibum agreed. “Suppose reading Machiavelli is also your idea of forbidden, your majesty?”

The princess looked at him in shock, somewhat in confusion. “What do you mean forbidden? How can he be forbidden?”

Kibum, unfazed with his thoughts and facial expressions, turned to her and took the book, started browsing from page to page, Yoona waiting for a complete answer.

He sighed and threw yet again one of those enigmatic smiles. “Have you never heard of him...ever in your entire princess life?”

Weakly, she shook her head, embarrassed that she had missed reading this particular philosopher. “What about him?”

“He was termed the devil,” Kibum stated, trying to recall. “Because he’s demon-like ideas about ruling. The Prince was written for Lorenzo Medici, in hopes to teach him how to govern Florence. But Lorenzo did not even dare read it. He says that a ruler must be like a lion and a fox: equally having the traits of both. The ruler must be bold and courageous and feared by all like the lion but he must also be as cunning and as smart as a fox.”

“How can he be forbidden to read?” Yoona questioned again, feeling unanswered still.

“Because he’s not really an option for rulers such as yourself, your majesty,” Kibum responded. “What I’m trying to say is that when he said ‘the end justifies the means’, Machiavelli was implying that you can do whatever you may to your people, be it bad or good, just so you can achieve the goal, that also be bad or good.”

“The end justifies the means,” Yoona repeated, thinking critically. “And then this is a suggested reading?”

He shrugged. “Well, it’s not all bad, I guess.”

Yoona looked at him in wonder. “What is your stand about Machiavelli’s thoughts?”

Kibum sighed, grinning at her in delight as though pleased that she asked him that. “You’re very good at exposing people’s hidden truths.”

She acknowledged that with a smile. “Byungmi princesses are good at it. Now tell me what do you think of him?”

“I think he’s smart,” Kibum answered sharply, almost instantly. “Politically speaking, he’s being practical, and his practical means are compelling enough, if not demonic, but yes have some truth in it. It can and may apply to the current situation of the nations, the division of Korea and its nations. Because of the current King in Dongsook, Korea falls into a trench of disputes. Calling that into action, maybe if we think like Machiavelli, we can assume that it might be for the goal of something, and that something could also be the best of all. That is why I think Machiavelli is forbidden for you but I find him one of the most interesting philosophers out there that marked the world.”

“Would you think it’s best to be like Machiavelli, since you’re only doing what is right for the people, even if you have to in a lot of bad ways? There are a lot of ways to kill the cat, quoted then.”

“To me Machiavelli is a genius,” Kibum beamed. “Just saying that it could possibly be that way. I’m showing you Machiavelli’s application to real situations.”

“Machiavelli sounds pleasing too,” Yoona remarked. “I like him.”

“You like forbidden things, your majesty so I wouldn’t have doubted you’d love Machiavelli too,” Kibum told her happily. “Only a few authors and people accept his ideas since society contradicts his thoughts about the end justifying all possible attempts at a goal.”

Yoona chuckled. “I bet he is one of the guys the tutor will label as ‘not to believe when ruling’. Damn, that would be too bad. I think he’s brilliant.”

Kibum smirked. “Quite a person, your majesty.”

“You can call me Yoona if you want, Kibum,” she stated openly before turning, getting up and going to the shelves one by one to return the all of the four books. Jumping off from his seat and looking at pity at the princess, he approached her, taking the two books out of her hands and carried it himself with a smile.

“I don’t feel like calling you Yoona yet, your majesty.”

She smiled at him with a swift wink. “Please, you think I’d call you Prince Kibum all the time? That is a mouthful. So, I dare you to call me Yoona since I only call you Kibum.”

“Your majesty, I am 9 months and six days older than you,” Kibum told her, surprising the girl and making her giggle out of nowhere.

Yoona halted, eyes at the back of her head, calculating indecisively then when was his birthday. After almost a minute of computation, she beamed. “August 24?”

“And you’re May 30,” Kibum replied, both of them laughing and continuing to the shelves.

“That’s true,” Yoona mumbled, remembering suddenly. “How time flies so quick, I’m just afraid that Seohyun will still go home to Byungmi, blind and unable to see her nation once more...” Just the idea of it saddened, her memory failing to remind why in the first place had she agreed to marry Changmin. Chasing after sorcerers and witches, would that even be something considerable at this time? Knowing that they were banished away, Yoona felt more depressed every minute---she failed her mission; in fact, Yoona failed Seohyun and she failed her mother. What kind of sister would have it that way, leaving the girl to her own?

“What do you mean by that?” Kibum questioned, inquiring as usual.

“Actually, this whole marriage thing was not my idea,” Yoona discussed. “I agreed to, because Seohyun forced me to anyway and also because I really wanted to come here to Sangdokchi. I was hoping to meet some witches who can help give Seohyun back her eyes and so she can see. Those eyes got broken at the age of ten and as I know based on my mother’s past, they were done with witchcraft. Only witchcraft can undo witchcraft.”

Kibum placed the books according to where they belonged; from shelf to stand they walked, still on each other’s pace. “I see. Since Sangdokchi’s notorious for raising practically a barn of witches, you come here. Now why do I see it as though you’re only using the marriage thing and the whole queen thing as an excuse just to get here?”

She laughed heartily at his observation. “Omo, Kibum! That’s not it. It’s also for my people so that Sangdokchi can lend a hand in protecting my people.”

“Again, it still sounds like using Sangdokchi for personal gain,” Kibum laughed with her as they ended up sitting on the floor now after returning the books. She leaned against one side while he on the other, both of them facing each other and crossing their legs, Yoona being in a skirt, just sat askance.

“Gah, you should be my tutor instead,” Yoona suggested. “I mean, I hate our tutor, and I hate having classes with Changmin around. He seems all smart and such a show off with how much he knows. It’s deadly.”

“Fatal even,” he joked, with Yoona’s mouth wide open in laughter. Kibum also appreciating it, not a single sound and plain air escaped from her. It was funny even at the sight of the princess this way. “You know, most princesses don’t sit on the floor.”

“Oh to hell with that,” she muttered, whipping her skirt to the side and showing off her feet in those light black flat shoes. “I still think it’s unfair for rulers to have so many things to put in mind. Seohyun really is brilliant and much smarter than me. She remembers every single thing!”

Kibum tilted his head. “I hardly remember anything from being a prince.”

Yoona smiled sympathetically. “Considering that you were 16 when that was last instilled, it’s not your fault why that is so. But you’re lucky. Everyone is too tight, too clean of a conscience to be doing anything...anything...”

“Forbidden?” And then they laughed in chorus.

“Exactly!” Yoona pointed. “I don’t know how they live always so secured and sheltered without even giving some damn care over how other people might also be in a different less fortunate condition as they are in. It’s funny because I think more like from someone who had not grown up in a place so fully given, so blessed...”

Kibum crossed his arms over his chest and observed from this distance as the princess talked endless, nonstop---the way he had never seen her talk so animatedly even from the wedding. She really had that sparkle in her eyes now, and she looked prettier? Was she pretty, he asked himself this. Maybe because she was in love, since that was a common theory in young maidens in town. Women looked gorgeous and more beautiful, livelier and heartbreakingly more charming when they were in love. Changmin? He smiled now at the rather inconceivable thought and on the idea about destined engagements and social contract like this.

His father had told him, before he had given up the throne, about things--- that the society cannot go on without the rulers and its guardians. Like what had Plato emphasized, there should be the three virtues in a ruler. One would be wisdom, where all rulers must have. And then comes bravery while the next one was temperance. Kibum all had these qualities, he therefore trained for them---his father had trained him to be so well at it. Even when his father had strictly prohibited Kibum to take hold of Machiavelli’s ideas, he still read about the him and his ideas about being a ruler: the lion and the fox and how one must practice the art of warfare when town was at peace. He had done that one too, long before everyone else had seen Dongsook riveting to chaos and declaring war.

And he also learned that before his 16th birthday, his father the King of Dongsook told him about his arranged marriage as well; one with a particular princess he had not wished to meet even so. But then war struck, the marriage contract torn only now into a dream, and so he was forced to army and now, at 20, he still swore to make something out of what he experienced.

“Hey.”

She stopped, looking at him. “Yes?”

Kibum sighed, grinning. “You’re fairly different from the others, your majesty. You think like you’ve grown up with the masses. And you know what? I think even when that’s the case, I still believe your perfect as the next queen of Sangdokchi. They will...be very lucky to have such a passionate and understanding princess like you, your majesty.”

She stood up playfully, curtsied with her right fingers out and the others tugging on her skirt, and beamed. “I am glad that someone had actually thought that way about me. I am more than flattered. I’m glad you’re my friend, Kibum. You’re very kind.”

“Ah, now you’re the one who is using flattery on me,” Kibum countered. “In return, I’ll try to help you look for a witch that can give back Seohyun’s eyes.”

“You mean...” Yoona’s eyes widened, reaching for his hands and taking them into hers as she kneeled beside him. She grinned ever so feebly yet again, also because of mere shock. “I...I...can’t thank you enough if that’s the case. Please...please help me. I don’t know anyone in Sangdokchi. Wait...but so do you. That will be difficult.”

Kibum chuckled to himself, tightly holding on to Yoona’s hand. “I’ve been to tougher situations and nearly died. I can get you a witch, don’t worry about me.”

She clapped her hands in glee. “Don’t forget to wear the clothes I picked out for you to wear in Prince Changmin’s birthday. It’s two days away, now that you think about it.”

He pointed her forehead as a sign of agreement. “Of course, your majesty.”

“Yoona,” she corrected.

And he bit his lip, somewhat holding back the joy, but still grounded to say it. “Yes, Yoona. As you wish.”

“Yoona?”

Another outside voice came about, when she heard the big doors creaked open and boomed as it closed. The two looked at each other, both somewhat feeling adventurous and happy all of a sudden that adrenaline flow in both of them, their eyes glimmering in unison. The same emotion, the same gutsy feeling as their hearts pumped swiftly. Why did it even, both had hardly considered then and there as Yoona placed a finger on her lips and winked at him.

“I’ll go to him while you can leave on your own. He wouldn’t like it if you were here. He has been in a bad mood earlier. Knowing that I have been slacking off again, he would also have your head off,” Yoona said quietly, standing up when she heard the footsteps fast approaching, accelerating towards where she stayed. Before she knew it, she crossed to his direction and bowed her head at her husband, who looked shocked when she came into view. Halting, he ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

“Yes, I’m here,” Yoona answered him nicely, watching Kibum move from one aisle to another, his shadows as swift as he had trained to be that well.

“Oh my god, I thought something bad happened to you,” he replied, shaking his head and turning away from her. Just at that moment, Kibum was nearly by the doorway, that Yoona unknowingly pulled Changmin’s shoulders again and draped her arms all around him, pressing him close to her body, her head on his chest and digging her face into that sarcastic smell of power and selfishness.

With his eyes wide open, arms awkwardly hanging in the air with nothing to do, Changmin stared at the girl now in front of him, rather too close that is for breathing. They stayed like this for minutes, hours, decades and centuries---or that even time stopped moving because of what she did. Although her eyes were stuck on another, Yoona eyed Kibum on the other side, holding a thumb out and snickering as hastily he slipped out of the library. She moved away then, sighing in relief, focus somewhere six feet under Changmin noticed.

His heart. It had never skipped nervously, her skin against his, her breath on his clothes.

Oh god.

Trying to catch her attention for it seemed to be in outer space, he cleared his throat, blushing warily. “Well, that was...”

Yoona grinned at him, sorry. “Missed you too,” she coughed, face also reddening upon realizing what she did.

“Very funny,” Changmin scowled. “I’ve realized it wasn’t nice to leave you here all alone. Something bad might have happened to you.”

“Ah, see! You missed me more!” she continued teasing him, until she received a low glare and Changmin turned around again, ignoring her like he always did. Off he went, steps plodded, as Yoona trailed from behind. “I’ll completely understand that since we’re apart and it isn’t---”

“Yoona, I will send back Seohyun to Byungmi if you do not keep your mouth shut,” the prince then responded, hands behind his back and so Yoona had no choice but to stop and followed him like a puppy.

She grumbled some more words. “Sorry about the surprise hug.”

“Apology accepted,” Changmin muttered back. “Come along. We will study together in my room, then. You absolutely cannot be left alone. Solitude makes you crazy.”

But she  _wasn’t alone_ , not ever during that time.

-_-_-_-

So quick and hasty, the days reached his majesty’s birthday.

He held her hand as she walked in those high heels for the first time; while the other man, whose steps were wide and arduous, was ahead of them, getting excited about the party and the food and meeting the girl again after a while.

“Aigoo,” she mumbled, letting go of her oppa and pouting. She pressed her skirt that seemed bloated with all the other under clothing her mother had made her wear, and then, looked at him. “Nichkhun-oppa, I just can’t do this.”

He snickered at the ‘oppa’. “Qian, you always wanted to meet the new princess, right? We will only be allowed if we look formally prepared to attend the party. It’s Prince Changmin’s 21st after all.”

Victoria winced, fanning herself with her hands in agony. “And the clothes are too warm inside! I just...can’t take it!”

“And you said you wanted to be a princess,” Nichkhun sighed heavily, holding her shoulders and steering her now up the hill. Once on top, a few more turns and walks, the palace gates would be revealed, gray, stony and tall---the smell of cooked beef and sound of harmonious dancing would also be the center of attraction. There were people waiting outside the gates the moment the trio stepped closer, and a parade of carriages were welcomed in by the guards--- also controlling the crowd from getting in.

Ten o’ clock hits that fine morning of February 18. Kyuhyun stepped closer to the gates, staring in the eye that same guy who had prevented them also from entering the night of the wedding celebration. He smirked, crossing his arms.

“Aren’t you going to open the gates to us?” Kyuhyun said, gesturing at Nichkhun and Victoria from behind. The two had their eyes somewhere else, ears also hearing how the rest of the masses from behind complained and mocked.

The guard shook his head. “Invitation?”

“Ah, Princess Seohyun asked for us,” Kyuhyun answered confidently. Before any more talks, the guard remembered what the younger princess had said and before agreeing with the pauper and opening the door for him and his crew, he rolled his eyes at Kyuhyun and his sick ego of being favored by the Byungmi princess.

“All right, we’re in,” cheered Victoria, and they were ushered immediately to the courtyard by the maids so as not to miss the grand entrance of his majesty and his wife.

-_-_-_-

She could see it from where she hid. The whole courtyard was indeed filled, so full of people she had never seen in her entire life, all wearing such classy clothes and waiting for the two of them, she and Changmin to ride their horses out and cross the aisle. She didn’t understand why it was important this way, and why couldn’t they just have a plain get together eating party, but this was important to their tradition. She wore pants now, after how many days of not being able to, and high brown boots, with a cardigan that made her look like someone from the west. Turning her back against the crowd, Yoona bumped into her, a girl who seemed to be like a mirror even.

“Krystal,” she apologized at once, the girl sneering and crossing her arms.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the other side?”

Yoona sighed, nodding. “Yes, yes, I know that dear. But I’ve been there and Changmin is nowhere to be found. Have you seen him by any chance?”

Krystal shrugged indifferently, pointing to her left and not caring if she was right or wrong. She really didn’t like keeping track of what Changmin was doing. “Over there, I think. I’m not sure. Just go check.”

“Thank you!” she bowed her head at the other princess.

Her heart felt heavy upon the decision, but it must be because she was too nervous to think the next moments. They were to ride together in their horses, slow and very...royal-like, and then wave and smile at everyone who knew nothing about her story at all. Yet, her heartbeat sounded odd; it thumped rapidly, closer to her chest she could feel. Yoona entered the small pathway, darkened since it was barely exposed to the sun, and upon turning left were the stables where her horse Sunmi stayed. Changmin could be briefing Dongho on what to do and what not to do when they start the show, and when the trumpets roll.

And then she saw him finally, with a smile coming to her face in relief. Although she couldn’t say for herself if he had also that same feeling.

_Changmin..._

She whispered slowly but later on realized that then would be useless for he seemed preoccupied with another, smiling for another, and enjoying another. It was not Yoona’s business anymore to pry and ruin it.


	12. What is there for tomorrow

It was like a gladiator’s arena, a boxing match, somewhere in between that was the very fact that a lot would be watching the two of them, on their horses, walk on to the aisle together for the first part of the ceremonies. She whispered his name again in the dark corner, in the shadows as his hands were intertwined with another woman, hidden also from view because Changmin’s back covered it. With her head down and somewhat still confused as to why there was giggling and hush talking, Yoona turned her back, a little disheartened.

She walked towards Sunmi her horse, her hands caressing its back pensively in still wonder at what Changmin could have been doing with the other girl.

“Sorry.”

His footsteps towards her were upbeat, unsteady and very un-princely. Her face remained calm, but inside slightly dejected as the voice of the royal speaker spoke to the crowd. Yoona hastily adjusted the seat and straps around her horse’s body, mouth closed and quiet, mind running chaotically with scissors, those scissors as sharp questions that she could not even mutter to herself.

“Yoona, were you listening to me?” Changmin almost whined, mounting on to Dongho, as Yoona climbed up hers as well.

She smiled at him shyly. “No. My mind was over something else.”

He rolled his eyes. “You do know you’re not to leave my side, right?”

She bit her lip in anxiety, still forcing herself to say it or she would forever regret it in this marriage. “Pardon me but may I ask you a question? Who---”

In a rhythmic harmony of what Yoona barely know as Sangdokchi’s hymn, the trumpets outside of the circle opening were blown incessantly. Changmin suddenly sat properly; full back straight, eyes on the long aisle they were to cross. Changmin’s eyebrows were crunching together in painful thought when Yoona continued talking. He gripped tightly the ropes, patting Dongho’s side as the stallion obediently walked. The clear day sun was high, his crown glistening below it, as Yoona, very annoyed, compelled Sunmi to follow the prince. And she did. Rather dawdling at it to be in fact as Dongho marched with pride, the prince waving all to the cheers from left to right. She was behind him already, meters away so Changmin deliberately stopped, waiting for his wife to catch and practically getting all the votes from the women on each side as he smirked. He gazed at Yoona, now giving off the stingiest glare she could pull at him, two of them paused in the middle of the road.

“Such a gentleman,” whispered the older ladies.

“Happy birthday, your majesty!”

“You’re even getting handsomer each year!”

“Thank you all! I hope everyone will have a nice time at the party,” he said to them as he moved now along with Yoona at his side, except for the girl almost completely forcing Sunmi to get ahead of him. Changmin smiled at her competitive spirit.

“I like that about you, you know,” Changmin teased abruptly, getting her to look at the other direction, scowling like an icy witch. “You get jealous a lot.”

Yoona scoffed at him, shaking her head. “Oh goodness, do you even hear yourself? Why would I be jealous of those ahjummas? Huh? Give me a reason to be.”

He couldn’t hide his happiness when she snapped back. “See, you’re all red already. When I talk about Seohyun, you also turn red.”

“I do not,” she talked sharply, irritated. “For crying out loud, I thought you were raised better than this.”

“I was. Only your existence caused it to be faulty,” Changmin told her, and she didn’t know if she would react to it

Knowing that the man hardly gave up when it comes to debating, she became silent, ignoring more of his malicious remarks.

-o0o-

Four buffet tables, surrounding the courtyard where the outdoor party was celebrated, enclosed the guests and visitors from the party crashers outside, the meager populace that wanted in. Well, Kyuhyun smugly thought as he sipped on the juice handed to him, they were unfortunate indeed not to have made friends and danced with the younger sister of the future queen.

“But what else does Kyuhyun-oppa do?” Seohyun asked so interestedly, her hands on her lap, still listening intently to Kyuhyun’s here and there brags.

“Talk as though he isn’t a simpleton,” Nichkhun chimed in, Qian giggling right beside him. “He also sleeps in work. He prefers hiding on a ship’s hold whenever he gets the chance.”

Fist flying in the air in embarrassment, Kyuhyun hit his hyung playfully at his shoulder, just like how he used to when they were little children running in the streets, swindling even. But Nichkhun hastily countered, for he had quick hands, quickest among the three of them, and got hold of the boy quickly.

“Very defensive of the truth, aren’t we?” Nichkhun teased, all of them also affected with it that they started laughing as well.

“Ah, Krystal looks so lonesome,” muttered Victoria out of nowhere, eyes set on the little princesses, not so little anymore perhaps because of her best ordinary dress, revealing her shoulders. Always silent and somewhat isolated, she sat on one of the tables closest her oppa the prince and her sister-in-law Yoona the Byungmi princess in their family.

Their was music, something that Changmin liked, played in the background, a soft blend of Mozart’s works and Beethoven’s, a little of Schubert’s as well but who was counting. After soft sophistications played the older style, with the strumming of ukelele’s and tapping of shoes. And there was dancing, fun country dancing; in the middle of the crowd, a royal jeester in the middle performing some of his few tricks as the others frolicked. It was the prince’s 21st and that only comes once ever in his life.

The music slowed down as the trumpets succeedingly blew yet again, the man stating the crowd that it was time for Prince Changmin’s dance with his wife. Lazily standing up, Changmin started his way to the center as Yoona also seemed to have the same reaction in her face. The pianist by his instrument played a soothing melody, with a few of the basses gathering their strings and began playing, the violins also coming in sync. Gently music, but heavy at the beginning, a bit sad, the music made the two stare awkwardly first at each other, like it was the first time they had seen each other.

He first held out his hand because it would seem Yoona was too stubborn to make any move at all. Without hesitation and feeling, she took it and was twirled at once into his arms, her skirt also in the same manner. He was so anxious into finishing this ceremony, wasn’t he?

Yoona smiled at the thought, making Changmin curious. “Oi, what’s with that smile?”

She shook her head, eyes set on him as well as the music hastened its pace. “You’re too excited to get this day over with.”

“Well... it wouldn’t anymore make a difference tomorrow,” Changmin answered. “21 today. 21 tomorrow until for another 365 days.”

“It does, actually,” she spoke softly. “They say if you don’t make things worth anything today, there wouldn’t be much of a tomorrow to depend on. How can you be so sure that tomorrow would be brighter or better when you can’t even put your mind to think that today is also a beauty?”

He smirked. “You’re just saying that because you’re not the one turning old.”

She laughed heartily at this, as more of the people started getting to the middle and dancing together like couples, that even Kyuhyun and Seohyun were already beside Yoona and her prince, only the latter couple did not even notice other people’s exitence as they talked without discretion and with ease.

“Are you worried that you’re growing old?”

He shook his head. “I’m worried about the responsibilities that comes with this. I will be the King in a momentous period where Korea is in civil wars with each nation. Tomorrow is frightening, so let’s hasten to meet it and get it finished already. I don’t want to linger on and wait for Sangdokchi to crumble in Dongsook. I have to be a good King to my people.”

“You will be though,” Yoona encouraged. “And they are lucky to have you.”

He smirked.

It wasn’t the usual thing he did, when slowly and a little agitated, more or less awkward just like their every day greetings, Changmin placed a hand over Yoona’s head. Yoona just gazed in repression of her giggles.

Because Changmin was not the  _kind of person_  who did that or at least to her, and that was weird indeed. He laughed at once, pulling away and covering his mouth. They stopped dancing then because he couldn’t anymore hold it in.

“Yah,” Yoona whispered and smiled, embarrassed now seeing that people were surrounding them. She hastily grabbed Changmin’s hand again and they started dancing once more, the prince shaking his head in disbelief.

“I’ll change tradition for Sangdokchi,” Yoona added happily, making Changmin look at her as if she was insane, as if she had turned into a madwoman, and that madwoman was to be an outcast if that was the case.

He scoffed. “Let me see you try that but I suggest you do not. If in Byungmi it is common for you to change practices from time to time, Sangdokchi is not like that I believe. Our government strongly puts tradition as part of the culture the future generation will bloom in. It is a way of giving honor to the ancestors and their clans.”

“Not the whole tradition thing,” Yoona answered. “The two of us are together because of tradition, and that is something unfair and  should not anymore be practiced by our grandchildren.”

“If I ever permit to have grandchildren,” Changmin cut off with Yoona glowering at him for it. “Well, I just turned 21. You can’t expect me to grow old quick.”

“I thought you wanted to be old and be a good King already,” Yoona replied smugly.

A light tap on the shoulder came in response, before Changmin continued talking back. It was none other than Kibum, who smiled delightedly to see Yoona look all smiles again. He waved and asked for the princess’s hand. Changmin slowly let go, scrutinizing Kibum before giving Yoona up.

“She’s going to change tradition and have grandchildren,” Changmin mumbled to the other prince, earning a small punch on the shoulder from Yoona for revealing the conversation. “Better put up that armor.”

“Very funny,” Yoona retorted afterwards, as Kibum took Changmin’s place. They held hands now, Yoona still eyeing the prince charming as he went back to his seat with Krystal, sitting still and looking at the crowd creating a lot of entertainment for her to scowl upon. As for Seohyun, Yoona turned to her left and saw the girl dancing with the man Yoona now heard of so much. It was Kyuhyun, so very nice of the man to always be the reason for the younger princess’s smiles and laughter. He was a blessing, Yoona thought.

“Eh, Yoona?” he called her attention and the princess bowed her head at once when he spoke.

“Yes?”

“You want to stop dancing? Because I feel like you are not too.. er...” Well, that was rather stupid of him starting a sentence he could not now finish. She smiled in such an understanding manner, stopping and pressing his hands more firmly.

Kibum snickered at this and they moved away from the crowd. “Then where do you want to go instead?”

“Do you want to go back to his highness? I think he’s still watching us in case you faint again because of me,” Kibum whispered still holding her hand. Eyes focused on her husband squabbling impatiently with Krystal, Yoona whacked his shoulder and laughed.

“You liar,” she responded, as he pulled her away from the slowly thickening crowd and into another side of the courtyard where the maze-like garden was situated. She didn’t mind though, beacause Kibum was too nice of a friend and because people, well, the ones in Sangdokchi were peaceful and cared less about other people’s business.

She playfully hopped into the ledges of a nearby fountain as Kibum trailed after her, and they started circling it and balancing along even when parts of it were a bit wet because of the fountain. “What do you do for fun, Kibum? What did you do as a hobby before? Aside from shooting and training and fighting? What was being a prince like?”

With her foot eventually making a turn to the left, and nearly slipped as the water, Yoona found her balance up, or rather Kibum held her by her arms before any dangerous accident came about. That frail moment he saw of Yoona, frightened yet adventurous at the very exact same time --- was it a mere dream? She quickly laughed in joy, holding on to him and  pulling him into a strong hug before Kibum could even realize what was happening.

“Saving a damsel in distress,” Yoona said to him. “You’re very nice, you know. Now let’s sit this one out or we’ll really fall in.”

Kibum, a little uncomfortable, cheeks as red as tomatoes, suddenly pulled away and lead the princess down so that they wouldn’t have fall into any more trouble.

“You’re the more natural at this,” Yoona added. “Now, do tell me your life before being a soldier.”

He smiled, reminiscing. “There would always be apples in the table. Because one of my nurses picked them out for me. I would eat it. I was the only son, so I was born indeed with a golden spoon in my mouth. I played a lot to be honest but... well, I grew up without a mother as well.”

Yoona’s hands were balled now, by her lap. “Seohyun was the most unfortunate. She only met mother through pictures. And that has also been on to memories because she can no longer see.”

“Do you want to know what my father told me just before he was fought off and imprisoned?” Kibum stared and waited for her to take interest in his life story.

Yoona bit her lower lip, looking at their shoes glued to the ground, their hands centimeters apart, a fountain sprinkling behind. A stranger to a stranger, then a prince to a princess, and now a friend to another, Kibum sighed in remembering.

“He told me to run.”

Silence entered the conversation. “Run?” She looked at him in curiousity. Kibum looked at the fair fine day, the light snow clothes chasing each other as the wind blew. He remembered his father clearly stating to him this words, his majesty tied down and now there taken away as Kibum, with tears in his eyes, scurried to the exit of the palace and followed orders like a good prince.

“Run because he was afraid that I might get caught as well,” Kibum answered, chuckling. “He was afraid for me. I was told to enter military by a commander, and he took care of me as if I was his own. Aside from being one of the new king’s men, he told me to help my nation and restore it. Since I was the only heir, I had to work hard so he trained me. He was a good commander who was killed in action. After that incident, I ran again until his majesty of Sangdokchi found me wandering alone.”

“Mother always told me never to run,” Yoona admitted. “Because you are showing cowardice.”

“You won’t run even when death was eyeing you?” Kibum asked her. “For a princess, the people depend on your hands, your decisions. One false wrong move may cause several consequences.”

Yoona’s lips twisted. “But running is cowardice.”

“Only to those who don’t change pace,” the prince stood up. “If you were smart enough, you would run and then come back to avenge. That’s what I mean changing pace.”

“But revenge is wrong, isn’t it? Shouldn’t one strike when the iron is hot?” Yoona questioned.

Deciding that it was best to change subjects before they start quarrelling out of nowhere, he chuckled at her narrow-minded ideas. “Can you tell me something about your ring over there? I’ve never seen you take it off and neither does Seohyun.”

“You mean this little thing?” She smiled at him dreamily, holding the ring. “It’s the only memory we sisters have of our mother. And she did tell me when I was younger never to take it off. It’s sacred to us and to Byungmi, that’s why it must be protected at all cost. If it were stolen, the thief actually dies or something. The ring knows who the royal blood is. It’s the most powerful object in Byungmi, because it belonged to the late queen handed down to us. My brother, the missing prince of Byungmi has one, and that is how I will be able to find him. The power may work if the ring was whole-heartedly given up by the owner. You try to snatch the ring this time.”

A little hesitant, Kibum followed the princess’s orders and grabbed it out of her neck. A few seconds before he realized he was in pain out of this, apparently sinking in like quick sand into his palm--- a heavy object besides its size, and that was absolutely the most impossible phenomenon he had seen.

The princess grinned at the effect, his expression satisfactory to her words. She picked it up and tied it back. “You felt it, didn’t you?”

Kibum nodded, taking his hand and twisting his wrist just in case. There was no scar though, thankfully but his hand looked swollen and red. “Oh god, what was in that thing?”

With pursed lips, she shrugged at the question. “Truth is, I don’t know. What...exactly did you feel? Most of my playmates before I considered its power actually said that it was spiky or was too hot. Each one had a different reaction to it. Only perhaps me and Seohyun cannot feel it. What about you?”

“Heavy,” Kibum answered. “It’s fucking heavy.”

She laughed to herself, pulling out her handkerchief from one of her pockets. Yoona gripped his hand, pressed it constantly, from the thumb to the smallest finger at the end and then wrapped the handkerchief around it. She clasped her own hands into it, as Kibum had developed red marks on his cheeks for this action. He quickly pulled his hand away and gulped, eyes on the opposite side.

“It’s actually different if I were to give it to you totally,” Yoona stated. “It’s harmless. Stolen is stolen so I guess the ring knows a lot of that. It’s quite a powerful thing.”

Hand still secured in one of the prettiest cloth he had seen, Kibum stood up and started walking, turning around and smiling at her very kindly. “Shall we go back now, Yoona? Prince Changmin might be looking for you.”

-o0o-

Upon getting back, Yoona was surprised to see Changmin already dancing with Krystal, both of them laughing their heads off in celebration--- could it be some sort of alcohol they drank when she was away with Kibum? The crowd lessened, and only a few remarkable visitors appeared to be having the time of their lives here. Seohyun, with her palms open over Kyuhyun’s own, was listening intently to whatever awestriking story it was from the blacksmith’s nephew. With that mischievous smile and Seohyun’s delighted laughter, Yoona assumed the story had reached its hilarious part. She sighed with a little joy in her heart. Well, it was nice for Seohyun to have friends in the village while she could.

Changmin approached her, with a silly grin on his face. He bowed at her. “Hello, my princess.”

Yoona sniffed over him, trying to uncover his reason for coming like this to her. “You don’t smell like alcohol, though. Why are dancing with Krystal like some madman over there?”

“Why are you with Prince Kibum?” His repsonded back, eyeing the boy. Swiftly seizing Yoona’s wrist, Changmin gave Kibum a quiet salute before bringing his wife to the center and twirled her to a waltz one more time. Yoona found it to be very amusing.

“What’s with you?” She asked through giggles.

“I’m happy,” Changmin replied, looking at the girl sweetly with those eyes. He wasn’t that bad after all, Yoona then thought. “You should be too.”

“Why exactly?” She was going to die of anticipation from him.

Pausing and tightly holding her hands, Changmin chuckled heartily. “Because the King and Queen, my parents, are going away to Europe. You know what that means right?”

Eager smiles and silent gazes that both glistened in chorus, in ecstasy--- indeed it might have triggered a change in character. Without the upper leaders, the succeeding generation are the ones in charge. And what better way to practice being the incumbent leaders than taking their places, right? That was worth celebrating indeed.

“They said they had important business to attend to,” Changmin mumbled to her in a very excited tone. “They’re leaving this afternoon.”

“That quick?” Yoona snapped back to reality. “Is that suppose to be a birthday gift, though?”

Changmin shrugged. “I don’t know, it could be. Father says that it’s so important it may last for about two to three months of visit. Plus considering the speed of ships from Korea to England, I then doubt it could reach to a four. When they come back though, the coronation would follow at once.”

Yoona nodded in understanding. “Should Krystal be happy as well?”

“She is,” Changmin pointed out. “It’s because without the king and queen watching over the kingdom, Krystal is free to do whatever she pleases, restricted things but still, a little freedom never hurt her. And she likes it.”

Smiling, she gazed at the younger girl and smiled. “Hmm, then that sounds pleasing news indeed.”

“The announcement was just a few minutes ago. Where were you?” Changmin’s eyes turned to her now, inquiring the disappearance. “I just take a seat for a second and then you go missing all of a sudden. It wasn’t that Prince Kibum couldn’t be trusted --- although a very likely idea--- but I saw you last with him so then I assumed, you were kidnapped or something. So where were you?”

“Dancing is suffocation,” Yoona exclaimed, her hands gesturing to the now small number of dancing couples. “Well, earlier.”

Changmin neglected the thought back to his mind. “There’s no harm in actually requesting for permission from me of your whereabouts.”

“Here we go again with this concern,” Yoona chuckled mockingly. Pointing his left temple, she faced him and sighed. “Really, now I understand what you mean by growing old. You worry pretty much of everything. I’m a grown woman.”

“And the next queen, for your information,” Changmin retorted in the same manner. “And if something bad happened to you? Who will answer that? Huh? Your father would have me killed, do you understand?”

“My father is not a savage barbarian.”

“Okay, say have my head off,” he rolled his eyes. Yoona grimaced before starting her way to where Seohyun sat, and a round of new friends she earned that apparently were just the ordinary people of Sangdokchi.

“You’re implying the same thing,” Yoona muttered, now choosing a seat next to her baby sister.

Still doing her best to shove the ranting away, seated now beside Seohyun sat Yoona, hiding behind the other now startled princess, hands around the dongsaeng, head on her shoulder.

“Seohyun-ah, Changmin is irritating. Make him shut up,” she complained sweetly, getting a pat on the head by the younger girl. A loose hug was returned.

Changmin glowered, quietly finding a vacant seat across the sisters. “Do you hear yourself? Whining to someone three years younger than you! How embarrassing.”

She pointed at him chidishly, more frustrated even. “You’re such a nuisance, you know that?”

The music in the celebration continued nonetheless despite the conscious bickering of the future rulers of the kingdom. Nichkhun and Victoria found their way back here after being partnered together in the a dance. A shot of honor and confusion pulling on both of the visitor’s hearts, they had nothing else to do but bow down at the two large majesties by their side.

“Why don’t you two take your seats and I’ll ask for more wine for all,” Changmin, with his head supported by his hand, projected a very bored look; although his more concern now, after the tedious questions about his wife’s presence, was in to making Yoona more infuriated.

The girl, the visitor, with her clothes resembling from someone who had grown up in the palace herself, was still standing while the man with her took his place next to his cousin, quite talkative about other magic tricks he was sharing to Seohyun. Yoona continued to spat out words at Changmin, laughing in between statements, and then squabbling more. The prince on the other hand noticed the other girl standing close to him, smiling, hands together. He looked up, and so did her friends.

“You may take your seat,” the prince cleared his throat.

“Qian,” Kyuhyun got up before Nichkhun did, then pulled Victoria to his side and make his seat between him and his cousin. “Oi, don’t get all...flirty. He’s married, you know.”

Victoria squealed a little, one that was obviously being repressed as Yoona looked at her with sheer joy. Changmin kicked one of his wife’s legs underneath, making sure first that it was Yoona’s.

“She’s your number one fan,” answered Nichkhun, snapping his fingers at the dream-like Victoria.

Changmin smirked and waited Yoona to react. “Too bad I was married to this little flounder over here. But I appreciate that. My wife you see... she gets jealous a lot too.” A kick from below meant that Yoona hated him assuming things from her.

“Did you hear that? Did you hear that?” she almost shrieked in joy upon hearing him speak of her so well, that Qian was pulling on Kyuhyun’s collar’s and squeezing his face in happiness.

Kyuhyun frowned and pushed her to his cousin as he continued talking to Seohyun.

Knowing that it might trigger more of Yoona’s hatred towards him, Changmin approached the girl and gave his hand  for her to shake. Eyes widening, Qian looked at Nichkhun first, then to the prince and happily shook it at the birthday celebrant bowed his head in greeting.

“May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

“Victoria Song,” she answered, not letting go of his hand before Nichkhun himself pulled them apart. The prince chuckled.

“It’s nice to meet you, Victoria,” he said. “Isn’t your name one of the finest I’ve heard?”

Yoona scoffed, her eyes averting to her left so as not to see her husband playing with her again. With a smile plastered on his face, his shoes shuffling through the green grassy courtyard, Kibum approached her suddenly, a glass of water in both of his hands, handing the other one to her as they drank together. She didn’t feel thirsty but she was very thankful nonetheless.

“Ah,” she said after the drink. “You’re the sweetest.”

He shrugged and took the seat next to her. “You look rather pale, that’s why.”

“So, let me see,” Changmin’s voice loudened, arms crossed with eyes both looking at Yoona occasionally and towards his visitors. “You’re Victoria, right?”

The beautiful woman by him nodded. “And you’re Nichkhun, correct?”

“No other,” he answered with a wide grin.

Changmin then pointed at the man now by Seohyun’s side. “You’re Seohyun’s frined Kyuhyun.”

He held his hand out for the prince to shake, and they both laughed at their current role reversals. Instead of the one being seated, Changmin without anymore denying that it was awkward meeting new commoners in this manner took the blame for having been the one unfortunate enough to have a sister-in-law as kind as Seohyun is.

“It’s finally nice to meet you, Kyuhyun. You’re the talk of the palace because of Seohyun here,” Changmin added, getting a shy beam from Seohyun as she listened intently more to Yoona now requesting her of sorts of things.

Kyuhyun gave him a feeble laugh, one that was forced but the prince couldn’t quite tell. He then stood up and went to Kibum, standing behind him as the prince looked up in question, as if wondering why he was being dragged into this again.

“You must know one of our friends here in the palace,” Changmin introduced. “He’s Prince Kibum of Dongsook, also known as lieutenant Kibum more often than the prince, because of his status.”

“You mean, he’s the---”

“No,” Kibum flatly answered, waving his hands at the now surrounding misunderstanding. “My father was the previous king, not the current tyrant wanting to destroy Korea.”

They sighed in relief, Kyuhyun holding out his hand. “Then, it’s nice to meet you, your highness.”

“And you may have all met my sister Krystal, right?” Changmin’s very odd welcoming aura was beginning to scare Yoona. Krystal walked up to them, undeniably bored, but still unfazed when she was introduced as she sat next to his oppa while holding one red wine bottle.

“She shouldn’t be drinking yet,” Victoria commented loudly, the princess scowling at her.

“You’re right,” the girl answered mockingly. “I should when mother and father are already away.”

Changmin rolled his eyes and requested the girl to just sit, hoping this would not anymore worsen the scenario they were all in. “Please forgive her. She’s...quite a talker.”

Taking into consideration what the mere pauper had told her, Krystal passed the bottle to each one, as they all poured themselves, Yoona giving Seohyun only half of hers, and Changmin nonetheless observed this, wondering if it was either Yoona was taking advantage of the girl’s blindness or that she really cared of her sister’s alcohol tolerance--- or maybe a little of both.

“A toast to my arrogant prince?” Yoona asked all of them, as they accordingly went with it, glassing clinkin next to each other.

-o0o-

While the lunch buffet party finally ended and each one of the guests were already leaving back to their respective homes, Yoona, with Changmin and Krystal off to the port to bid their parents goodbye in the trip, was already tipsy because of the tonic added to her wine, courtesy of Kyuhyun this time for mixing up like a real barista. She even had hiccups while walking, a blurry thing to do in fact that if it weren’t for Kibum, his soothing and comforting voice by Yoona’s side now, she might have found herself sleeping on the floor of the corridors. Seohyun was already in her own room, sleeping through a restless heart.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Kibum said to her, guiding her by her shoulders towards her own chamber.

Yoona shook her head. “How many bottles was it again, Kibum?”

Opening the door to her room, Kibum, a cane through her dizzy state, the invisible hand that led her to her room, held on to her very carefully, in case she would fall. With Yoona smiling like a lunatic, at this weakest time, she needed someone to help her around, especially that she often perspired too much and Kibum had no other choice but to do it himself. Her nurses all rushed to give her a hand but she refused nonetheless, only asking for Prince Kibum to do it.

She jumped to her bed and pulled the covers up without causing anymore trouble to her friend. He gazed at her worriedly, as the twilight touched her carpets.

“I’ll have your nurses come over to---”

“No. Stay,” Yoona mumbled through gritted teeth, through closed eyes. Kibum sighed, disgruntled at the situation that he just sat at the rear bed post.

“But I’m tired, Yoona.”

“Wait for Changmin to get here.”

She still seemed to talk with sense so Kibum assumed it was still all right to be around her.

“I won’t know if he had already arrived with Krystal unless I wait up for him by the gates now,” Kibum grunted to her, and she continued to talk in babbles, words with giggles at the end of the sentence. And knowing that it was already enough of an answer and that she was obviously tired, Kibum got up slowly and silently, heading for the open door.

There were whispers by her doorway, because of the small opening from her room to the outside hallway. Whispers of laughter and longing, he couldn’t quite make out until he eventually took a peek to see the prince, back from the docks, with a woman whom Kibum had known to be Changmin’s best friend before being married.

The girl’s fingers were playfully on his coat know, managing to take it off of Changmin and seeing her smirk.

Changmin, in Kibum’s view, bit his lower lip befor grinning. “You can stay here, you know. Since father and mother are away.”

She laughed lightly before planting one lasting kiss on his highness that made Kibum stunned at the moment.

“Happy birthday,” she spoke lowly. “I didn’t get you any presents, though.”

Changmin sighed, cupping her chin and staring into her eyes. “You’re the best present, actually.”

The most feared anticipation, more than an angst of his own life, Kibum saw him open the door to his own chamber, just the one next to Yoona’s own because they were merely parted by a wall, and disappeared along with his girlfriend who Kibum wanted to shoot dead then and there.

It tore Kibum’s heart even more to think of someone, the prince in particular, to hurt the sweetest and kindest person he has ever made friends with. The other prince, the one inside Yoona’s room, stared blankly, horridly at his dear princess Yoona, who undeniably was sound asleep, uncaring, unaware--- but that was the cruelest thing of all. That she did not know of it, not know how much she might never experience happiness in Sangdokchi after all; that her awaited happily ever after was in fact just a fallacy.


	13. Debt on Death

The streets were quiet in the breaking morning light, only as the sun was rising up had the people, from their little homes with slight burnt roofings, lumbered to start their every day tasks. The temperature patiently stood humid today, perfect indeed for everyone. Some people drudged their carts uphill south towards Baekham bridge, to exchange sea products with Byungmi for their logs.

It wasn’t his first time to be wandering solely alone in these streets, maybe his twice he thought clearly, but either way, he was determined to locate the blacksmith’s nephew. A week has passed after the Prince’s birthday bash, a week after he himself had laid eyes on how his majesty had cheated on Princess Yoona while his parents were not around. How stupid, really--- if it were up to him, he would have his rusty sword put to good use.

And the nerve of Sooyoung to be eating with the royal family every lunch these past few days, although Kibum noticed, she kept distance, the usual small glances and secret smiles when Yoona had not been paying attention. Yoona would always be seated beside Changmin, but his eyes where in fact somewhere else. The course replayed in front of him as he remained silent, already being asked why so oftentimes than not.

Eventually walking through some alleys and turns, he found their wooden shop, hearing already the fine steel clashed upon another kind of steel, woven like clothe, into the best swords in town. Production had been slow this year, for guns were introduced by the Europeans to them, and lest the battles actually become easier to win over. Kibum was skilled in both, so nonetheless, he had nothing to fear when it came to technical uses.

Serenely like the calm dawn, he knocked on the door, the noise inside halting and before he knew it, an old man’s voice reached even the outside, yelling, “Nichkhun, would you get the door?”

The man opened it as ordered by his very own father, realizing at once that it was none other than Prince Kibum himself, grinning in seeing him once more. Nichkhun bowed at him for a very long while, curious at the same time for being in town.

“Who is it?” yelled Victoria cheerfully, Kibum could see, coming down from their staircase with a sluggish Kyuhyun, rubbing his eyes just trailing behind her.

“Ah, good morning, Prince Kibum!” She beamed and also greeted his majesty, Kyuhyun’s eyes aimed at him.

“What are you doing here, your highness?” he asked, queer of Kibum.

He entered as Nichkhun gestured him to his good home, requesting the man to take a seat for the moment; the shop keeper, the blacksmith known to create amazing swords used in wars these past few years, was now gazing at him oddly, nodding at him for he had not seen this boy, ever probably. Kibum understood perfectly though.

“We’ll give you tea,” Nichkhun stated, rushing towards their kitchen area behind the doors now.

Now beside Kibum, Kyuhyun laughed at his hyung, while Victoria sat next to his majesty as well. “See, Nichkhun’s easily paranoid. I feel embarrassed already.”

“What brings you here?” Victoria again mumbled, Kibum sighing. It was deep, so they assumed both together, it must have been serious. Looking almost desperately at Kyuhyun, his hands clapped together almost as though he was praying, twisting his lips in sync.

“You do know about Seohyun’s case, correct?”

Kyuhyun nodded. “What about her, your highness?”

“I talked to Yoona for a couple of times now,” he confessed, getting anxious more and more. “Her reason for being in Sangdokchi is to get her sister her eyes back. And only Sangdokchi have witches that great to return one of the important senses mankind needs.”

“But the current monarch has banished them to the island in the middle of the ocean, near China,” Victoria answered him, with Kibum and Kyuhyun smiling--- having that bizarre idea concurred at the same time, Nichkhun now entering with a tray of warm tea.

The prince picked up his cup and chuckled, blowing away the soothing air over the drink. “I think Kyuhyun got my idea.”

He saluted. “I certainly did, your majesty. I find it very brilliant.”

“What is it?” chorused Victoria and Nichkhun.

Kyuhyun poked Kibum’s shoulder with his shoulder, both of them almost like reading each other’s minds for it. The prince shyly bit his lip, nodding and staring into the eyes of the others. They have to do it: Seohyun needed her eyes back, Yoona had to fulfill it before her baby sister leaves the nation.

“Let’s visit the island in the middle of the ocean. Don’t they keep witches there?”

Nichkhun scowled at once while Victoria made a very curious expression. “Really, now if you were a sensible man, you would know that that island is very heavily guarded. Only a royal official can and may be permitted to visit---”

“Exactly why I am going with you,” Kibum gladly inserted his role in the plan. “It’ll be slightly difficult but I need everyone’s cooperation in this.”

Victoria, concerned about the consequences, stared at the prince, almost as though she was afraid to speak up and doubt her ideas but eventually realized this was a must. “But...we need a sorcerer who can actually reverse back the spell on Princess Seohyun. Wait, is it even a spell? Not all of them are capable of that, for each witch is special and they have accordance to specialty. You know how most of them are detained and cannot use power when they are in their cells. How will we know if this sorcerer is capable? It’s against Sangdokchian laws now to be allowing a fugitive to escape.”

Silence came in quickly like a welcomed guest, Kyuhyun shrugging. “Good point, Qian.”

Kibum drank the tea, uneasy, distracted --- the plan sounded quite acceptable when he thought of it. Although they were actually thought out of misery and sorry for Yoona over dinner last night. How were they going to pull out a sorcerer from his station? They were already stubborn enough to help mortals like themselves with anything.

“Maybe I can request to borrow a sorcerer for the meantime out of his cell. I’ll do some inquiry around if that is possible. We need a sorcerer willing to help for the smallest price possible,” Kibum answered. “For the price that won’t involve getting any of us, particularly the princess herself, harmed.”

Kyuhyun cleared his throat. “Yes, that would be helpful indeed.”

“Why are we going though?” Nichkhun questioned, getting a strong thump on the head by his seatmate Victoria.

“Since you are very familiar with the docks and I’m sure you have friends there, if it’s not much of a burden to you, please request to borrow a vessel for the journey. It won’t take a day for travel, correct?”

Nichkhun recalled one time he was on the ship, on a voyage towards the said island in the middle of the ocean. “Not really. Only a couple of hours and you’re there eventually. I’ve never been off the ship because I was not permitted to so I’m not really sure of the topographical features. I do remember most of the island is covered in trees.”

Kibum clapped his hands, his cup emptied in an instant it was brought to him, and he stood up, bowing his head to all three. “We shall start the trip this coming Monday. That’s two days away for us to prepare the things we need. For now, I shall leave you. Thank you very much for this. I mean... it’s really quite heart-warming.”

The trio, also paying respect, lowered their heads as Kibum walked out of the shop. His mind though, Kyuhyun’s mind, was not complacent just about yet. Minutes after the prince closed the door behind him, he couldn’t help following him, wishing for more questions to be answered. He looked from left to right, in search now of which way and found not too far away him walking alone back to the palace. “Eh!” He called, shouting that is. If he were to address him as a prince, everyone in this particular neighborhood was bound to get a bite out of him. And that also applied literally.

Kibum spun around in surprise to see Kyuhyun trailing after him, and so he halted in wait.

“What is it, Kyuhyun?”

“You majesty,” he said, panting. “I... I was kind of wondering. What made you... you know, thought of helping Seohyun? Is she... in a more peril state now? Sorry, I’m just curious.”

He smiled at the other guy. “Perhaps it’s also the same reason why you want to help her get back her eyes, only in another projected manner.”

“Projected manner?” Kyuhyun repeated after him, eyebrows knotted together.

“I’m doing it not only for Seohyun,” Kibum later revealed to him. “I’m doing it for her sister and her kingdom.”

“That’s very... heroic of you but...” Kyuhyun licked his lips, hands on his chest. “What does Byungmi have to do with all of this? How are you all willing to help that other kingdom? Could it be you are also attached to it?”

“Would it be wrong to help them? Yoona cannot do it herself, you know,” explained Kibum, annoyed. “Just do what I asked you to do, and everything will be right according to plan.”

Kyuhyun sighed. He was too good to be real, and no prince would actually do something to help another kingdom out of sheer pity. There was something more than this, surely--- because any royal blood, defined as much as in their history, that they always would not do anything unless they were paid to do so. Examples would be conquering of other countries. Such theories hardly existed anymore, Kyuhyun concluded to himself, afraid to further deepen his doubt of the prince.

“Yes, your majesty,” he bowed his head, both in apology and in agreement. Now standing straight, the ring on his neck showed, Kibum bewildered at the sudden presence of this object, which he had not noticed earlier nor the other day he had met Kyuhyun. It appeared much like Yoona’s own ring, and apart from it looking bigger and more silver-like than Seohyun’s, Kibum gazed at it for a very long time.

“Er... sir?” Kyuhyun said, waving his hand to check if Kibum was still with him.

Kibum’s eyes widened, hands very swift just like a thief in any meager population, seizing the ring out of Kyuhyun’s neck until the string that held it broke. Kyuhyun, shocked at what the prince had done, glowered and was about to take the ring back from his highness’s hands but Kibum shook his head, putting his hand down, eying Kyuhyun. “Wait. I’ll give it back. Let me hold it first.”

Then there was that instantaneous pang of sharpness directed straight to his palms, straight to his bones, ripping his muscles insides and it hurt, just as much as the weight of Yoona’s ring when he first held it, and even by then, Yoona  _half-heartedly_  allowed him to. Grunting loudly, he let go at once, dropping the ring to the ground without much care anymore if Kyuhyun would hate him for it.

“Gah... “ he mumbled, shaking his hand as it went numb.

Kyuhyun hastily picked the ring up with ease, slowly putting it back to its rightful place, an extra strand of ropes now he used to collect it by his neck. “Are... are you all right, your majesty?”

The prince nodded, sighing. “We shall not speak of this. Not to anyone, understand?”

“But why did you look like---”

“To not speak of this, effective immediately,” Kibum retorted harshly, and then, realized his voice was quite too loud. With his eyes closed, Kibum shook his head lightly, fists balled tightly on the nonexistent wound the ring caused.

“I shall see you on Monday, early morning,” he further added. “By the docks before the sun rises, okay?”

Still in a state of puzzlement, Kyuhyun, baffled, inhaled deep and nodded to his orders. “You’re quite weird to be honest, your majesty. But since this is for Seohyun, I will have to believe you.”

The other man smirked sadly as he turned around, walking away still with that dreadful thought in mind. “I’ll have to use those words against you one day, Kyuhyun-sshi. So we’ll see who is to believe and what is not to be taken in as real.” Kyuhyun appeared to be a man who truly liked Seohyun, the way he pressed her hands upon leaving and the way he would also do the same when they meet. It was something Kibum hardly saw around the palace--- except maybe for Sooyoung and Changmin stealing moments in the afternoons when Yoona would be with her sister. It was more than something he found cute or charming; and Seohyun seemed to retaliate the same emotion, the likes and the friendship offered to her by Kyuhyun. Sweet and light, friends perhaps that could be so much more given time, Seohyun granted with that time.

But now that Kibum knew of a secret long while been kept or unknown to him (and maybe also to Kyuhyun), suddenly he felt like the royal family would have to face bigger problems than Seohyun’s sense of sight. Because her heart itself failed to protect her. It was like eventually what he was doing would not compare or compensate to the more painful end they would all see.

-o0o-

The next day came, marking another week without the most respected couple in the kingdom. As the clock blotted seven, that a sign for the princes and princesses to have their early tea just before their breakfast, she recklessly took off the apron around her body, putting on the brown slippers that partnered with her dress underneath, its rim dirtied by the coffee powder she spilled earlier.

Taking a tray of hot warm coffee in cups and cinnamon rolls as well, she lifted it up and started walking now up the corridors. Although a couple of maids tried stopping her from doing this every minute, she denied for her own purpose. She started up the east wing first, where the younger princesses stayed.

The nearest to the staircase of course was none other than the homegrown princess, her door was closed that Yoona pouted. She knocked twice before a grunt of some sort was called. She entered with a bright smile on her face, tray balanced in one hand as she peeked into the bright purple and blue combination inside. The curtains were also of that color, the sun also coming in with her.

“Good morning, your majesty,” she called, setting aside the tray first in one of her tables. The little girl, about the same physical age as Yoona’s own sister Seohyun but mentally younger indeed, was still wrapped in her sheets, the large puffy white one Seohyun also had, black hair popped out of the top. A lot of more grumbling here and there, Yoona noticed and very much assumed she was like her in so many ways.

By the table were large books from the library, mostly about Galileo and Aristotle rolled with a couple of other calligraphy books imported from Japan. Sometime in the earlier years when Korea was not colonized by the great Britain, they used that subject often, learning both Japanese and Chinese languages.

“It’s good to see that you’ve been studying,” Yoona said, without anyone really listening to her. “Would you like sugar on your coffee, Krystal? Or just wait until we have breakfast later on?”

“Mmm...” the princess said, sitting up now. Unlike Yoona though, the girl’s hair looked straightened out despite the chaotic sheets spread around her. Her eyes widened, hands over her mouth when she stirred awake.

“This may sound like an insult,” she started. “But you look like my sister-in-law Yoona.”

The princess rolled her eyes and went back to putting a cinnamon roll in its plate and setting them aside with Krystal’s coffee. She added sugar of course, because no kid could refuse sweetness. The girl, laughing on her own, jumped up cheerfully and approached the older princess to see her work. Which was not an every day scenario.

“You should have been born a maid instead. Clearly, princess life is not for you.”

“Thank you, Krystal,” Yoona said to her, picking up the tray again and starting her way out of the room. “I’m sorry to have interrupted your sleep.” And the door closed behind her.

With a smirk almost similar to her brother’s and an arm leaned on the table, Krystal eyed the bread prepared for her. “Not that I have much of a choice with you.”

-o0o-

Seohyun was apparently still asleep when Yoona entered so she had set aside her share on her table. She didn’t take off her ring as Yoona had ordered her ever since that brief accident, and only during special occasions that Seohyun kept it for purposes she too was not aware of. Yoona had reasons actually--- that another attack on Seohyun would be possible if it was known she had the ring with her. Like perhaps Changmin’s birthday party, Seohyun had not worn it by then, because Yoona again being protective, thought something might bad happen to her.

Three cups of coffee left and three buns. Now that she noticed her sister was okay, Yoona got up and moved to the neighboring room, one of the smallest rooms in size, but still very reliable. The door opened not a second more after her knock, Kibum’s weary tired eyes peeking through the space until he eventually opened it wide and grabbed the tray from her.

“Oh god, Yoona. You didn’t have to,” he said and placed the tray on his table. He rubbed his eyes along with it, flopping on top of his bed after this, arm over his eyes.

“You seem tired,” Yoona concluded, nearing him and lying beside him. A heavy sigh came as an answer, before he smiled and looked at her. Her eyes seemed so caring, so lost, so wondering if he would be okay when tomorrow came. If only she knew so much of the world around her, of the secrets his heart wished to tell her: like Changmin and Sooyoung’s relationship behind her back or Kyuhyun being the lost prince.

Such gripping truths he could not even mutter to her even in her sleep, so he kept quiet, like he was often seen to be but shouldn’t Yoona know? He didn’t even know which news would be more of a fright: that her prince would never consider her as his wife or that her little sister would be disappointed to find out that the one she loves would actually be her brother.

“I’m not,” he denied at once, holding Yoona’s face.

“Did you sleep?” she inquired, hand over his forehead to check his temperature. “Gah, you’re a bit warm.”

This kind of close distance, his heart did not like risks at all. She was too sweet, too kind—he couldn’t dare confess so many things to her in one go; there would be right moments for those, Kibum thought. What if he told her how much he liked her, even when it was wrong? Would he be thrown to prison for loving someone already taken? What was Sooyoung doing? Yet, this came to him like storms, large hurricanes that scared him. It had consequences, those of which he did not want to happen. And so he must be quiet. At all times. Until the right moment comes, he sighed.

“I’m okay, Yoona.”

“No, you’re not,” she stated softly, eying him sideways. He was sweating, a little more than one should on an ordinary fair day. His eyes were a bit red, tired clearly but still he lied. His hair was disheveled in a mess, as black as coal, as black as the coffee grains she had diced off earlier. That smell of both lavender and peppermint, and some other wood-like entity, it was nice. His breathing, a rhythmic pattern of slow cuts and inhales. It was beautiful. He was beautiful in fact, only he seemed to be so angst about something he did not like to tell Yoona.

“Something’s troubling you.”

“Nothing.”

“There is! There is! There is! I am sure there is something!” Yoona pressed on, nearing him now in curiosity and observing his face this way.

“There isn’t,” Kibum remarked coldly, closely observing her. Her smiled disappeared at one moment, solely her attention his. “Yoona, the coffee will be cold once Changmin gets his.”

A minute of digesting those words, she blushed and thought of her husband, getting off him and sliding towards to get the tray she brought in, already parting of course Kibum’s cup and his bread before picking it up quickly, if not so clumsily unlike her entrance, and so Yoona headed for the door.

“Yoona,” Kibum called her and she turned around. He was smiling at her.

“Yes?”

Sighing, he grinned even wider getting up in such a friendly manner. “I’ll help you with that.” He opened the door for her as she went outside, smiling and bowing her head. Two more cups for her and Changmin to share before the main dish at the dinning hall was served as breakfast. Coffee warmed hearts, Yoona decided and for Changmin being a cold person, she wished this time since she was the one who made it, it would at least give him some heat. And wouldn’t this be a thoughtful way of showing she cares for all of them?

His room was the farthest one in the west wing, just beside hers, and its door was already partly open. Then, that meant he was awake? Goodness, Yoona’s heart throbbed maniacally, so nervous and worried about his thoughts seeing her do this, his wife doing chores, his wife the princess of Byungmi bringing him cup of coffee--- it could or might have looked demeaning even. Either way she had to try and impress him. She deserve to be respected just like the other members of his family. And if he wouldn’t do it after this...

“Good morning, your majesty,” she entered his chamber after the knock, smiling. Although after those words, the smile was followed by a disapproving frown, a jumpy and shaky Changmin by his table, hands locked and lips locked with Sooyoung as she was on his lap and somewhere in between he was mumbling curses and shaking his head as the woman, his girlfriend, moved swiftly away and onto the other chair when the princess entered, eyes out of the window and unable to stare at him or at Yoona. Mouth dropped open, Changmin neared Yoona for she didn’t move one bit, staring at the scenario where they flirted with each other.

She bowed her head again. “I’m sorry... for the intrusion. I will have the maids instead to make you... a warmer coffee and such that Sooyoung-ah will also be accommodated.”

She turned around, Changmin stopping her with his arms, holding her now instinctively for the first time. He could feel her tremble, that anxious tremble and as though his embrace could comfort her, could cause miracles, he did, stopping Yoona for the moment.

“Please let go of me,” Yoona mumbled to him.

“Let us talk about this outside, shall we?” Both had faces calmer than the oceans surrounding the town, but deep inside, truly inside their hearts, they were both startled, both raged in some way or another.

She refused to look at him, refused to make contact as she placed the tray on the ground and crossed her arms over her chest. Changmin, rubbing his temples in pain, waited for her to actually start the conversation but she didn’t budge, sadly, so it was up to him anyway, like a proper explanation.

“Yoona, look at me,” Changmin requested, almost like pleading. “I don’t want to talk as though you’re not listening. Your attention, please?”

“I use my ears to listen and eyes to see,” Yoona replied lazily.

The prince sighed. “It wasn’t what you think it was.”

“Oh?” She smiled at him, eyes growing big in mockery. “Then what was it? What lies do you wish to hide this time?”

“I didn’t lie to you, Yoona,” Changmin answered her fiercely. “What you didn’t know would not hurt you. So I did not tell but that didn’t mean I lied. I didn’t to you and never did, do you understand? Do you think this marriage was easy on me? Do you think it was okay for Sooyoung to have someone else take her place? Do you know why I planned on divorce? Do you know why I shun you a lot?”

“I never asked those questions either,” Yoona stated, teary. “But I do know the answer.”

“I love her,” Changmin gulped in stating, although something inside other than pity was begging him not to spill it. “I love her, Yoona. I’m sorry. Now I’m telling you this and it’s the truth.”

Yoona sighed unhappily, looking at him squarely. “I never thought you would, though but yes, thank you for telling me now.”

He was still devastated, guilty. “She didn’t stay in for the night, mind you if that is what you’re thinking. She’s leaving, Yoona. She’s going away to China and there’s no assurance that she’s coming back.”

Her hands, over her chest as though protecting herself more from this, suddenly fell upon his explanation.

“We may not fall in love with each other because our eating habits are at risk,” she laughed at that statement. “But... we are married and together, and as your wife, I have every right to feel disgraced and embarrassed and dishonored. So you shouldn’t be shocked. I am not enough to my husband, so how much more would I be to his people? How much more would I be to my own people? My question now is whether you’ve thought of the consequence it would have. Did you think it was possible to keep such a relationship away from us? Is this the reason why I sometimes do not find you in your chamber?”

Her tears finally fell out of shame. She checked on him during evenings? She stalked his schedule on the daily? Why would she do that? Because she was his wife? Wouldn’t that be invading privacy?

“Yoona... I’m sorry,” Changmin licked his lips in anxiety. “Don’t cry on me. Please, you’ll get tired.”

She laughed at the comment, wiping her tears. “I already am because I woke up early around four to brew you coffee.”

He puffed his cheeks, apologetic. “Okay, I am guilty. Sorry, Yoona. I am.”

She shook her head, staring at him in two opposing feelings: pain and happiness. The latter did not make much sense but she did found it amusing that he was apologizing to her. He opened his arms for her, so slowly, she itched towards him and wrapped her hands around him too, snuggling his smell as she weeped, Changmin tightly holding her, still gloomy for her; this heartbreak might as well happen to other ordinary couples in theatrical proportions but for it to be happening to both of them, it must have shocked Yoona too much.

“I’m really sorry,” Changmin muttered, kissing the side of her head. “I’m sorry for not telling you.”

“It’s all right,” she responded, unfazed. “This is what I engaged in, didn’t I? If it’s for my people, then you can have multiple girls in your bedroom any time you want, as long as you keep your promise to protect Byungmi from the war. Can we be friends now since all the secrets have been revealed?”

“I’ll be your friend now.” He smiled thoughtfully, brushing his fingers down her hair. “I’m already happy that you’ve accepted this so... well and not like other raged wives out there.”

Yoona moved away first, hands still around him. “This secret cannot go out. The maids know this too, right? They shouldn’t tell. It’ll taint both our images, such things like Byungmi doesn’t deserve your help or something.”

“They’re paid not to tell,” Changmin chuckled darkly. “They didn’t even tell you.”

She punched his shoulder. “You should have told me before we got married. I mean... Sooyoung-ah...”

“Don’t worry. She understands,” Changmin bit his lip. “I’m going to accompany her this morning because she’s leaving.”

Yoona nodded.  _Drop her off the orphanage if she’s being dependable._ “I’ll pretend nothing happened and wait for you at the dinning area then. Please bring in Sooyoung if she can still have breakfast with us.”

Her movements were slowed down, not herself the minute she picked up the tray of untouched coffee and cinnamon rolls. Walking to the other direction, she saw Kibum standing by the doorway, looking ever so uneasy towards her or the situation she was in, Yoona couldn’t decide. She waved weakly at him, as his gaze intensified.

“Let’s have breakfast, ne?” Her eyes were so forced obviously into smiling with her lips.

Kibum nodded. “As long as you don’t cry right there, then yes, let us.”

“So you saw?”

“Heard,” Kibum confessed, scratching his hair. “It must have been...wild.”

Yoona giggled. “Not that bad, really. Although if we could have Sooyoung fried, I am all right.”

“And he didn’t even drink your coffee,” Kibum noticed, picking up the cup and taking a sip out of it himself. “We’ll fry Changmin too.”

“Can we boil him instead?”

He slapped his hand with her free hand as well, laughing their heads off at the devised plans without literally meaning any of them, slowly got down th stairs, still secretly plotted those schemes that could never happen in reality. They were more fun than busting some rotten prince’s secrets.

Changmin, however, had never felt awkward in years, and only Yoona’s way of accepting brought it out after awhile. Sooyoung left because he told her to and had his last goodbyes, to avoid anymore embarrassing contact with Princess Yoona. He had done nothing too sinful as of being with Sooyoung, but Yoona...being exposed to her this way; his perception of her suddenly shifted into a brighter light, into a light that was perhaps always been there yet he had not taken any of it into consideration. She had not objected too highly of what he has done, even when it appeared very much punishable. She deemed and carried with her to forget what she had seen, forget what could not be forgotten so easily, especially for a wife her age. But what did she know of being the 19-year-old princess of this Sangdokchian prince?

He stabbed the table with his fist, confused. But he expected more from her, a reaction that was usual; respecting already that it was her and that was her right as the princess Changmin married, and pretty much with that in mind as a backup plan, Changmin knew what to do. And now that the tables had been turned, into something so very unusual, he, oftentimes the one with the brightest ideas in a split second, was panicking. Yoona was  _unusual_  for a wife, and he found it to be excruciatingly difficult to erase the guilt now.

They were having breakfast below, all of them: his sister who should really start reading up; her sister who kept quiet almost every time; Kibum the prince who didn’t leave Yoona’s side; and of course Yoona who must be just keeping all the burden inside.

God, Changmin, when did you grow up to be so heartless.

-o0o-

He tightened the ropes securely now as the wind blew in that direction. The ships unsteadily tipped here and there as the waves rolled in, the sun climbing up now in the far horizon. The island was just up north, he thought. It wouldn’t take long.

“Are you sure the majesty did not cancel this? The sea looks a bit drastic,” Victoria whispered to Kyuhyun. Her hair was tied to a bun now, standing beside Kyuhyun in one of her pants and normal working clothes. Despite that, she still looked so womanly.

He shook his head. “Nope, actually. So I think he’s very determined to go there.”

Before more words were exchanged, Nichkhun came rushing through the ramp, pointing behind him with his thumb. “They’re here,” he told Kyuhyun, this man looking puzzled.

“They?”

Sound of gallops followed his hyung’s immediate appearance, only to find Kibum and another girl, a princess in fact, and Kyuhyun gulped. From his point of view, he wasn’t sure if it was Seohyun or Yoona, hoping it was the former now that came with them, because his heart started thumping loud the moment Kibum helped her down his horse. Her hair was tied, a hat over her head.

Kibum smiled at him. “She wanted to come along. You don’t mind one more passenger, right?”

Getting an answer now, Kyuhyun waited on the deck, seeing that Kibum was indeed still holding her closely, still by her side, as if guiding her now up the ramp and towards Kyuhyun, to him who later noticed it was none other than  _his_  princess indeed. She took off her hat slowly by the ribbon upon her chin. Grinning and sighing, he rushed to her at once, embracing her because it had been quite some time since they last met. And yes, she openly did that same manner, arms wrapped around him.

“I missed you, your highness,” he said, and then moving away through embarrassment.

Seohyun giggled. “I missed you more, if you want me to say it.”

His hands eventually found hers, pressed hers completely into a squeeze and she had that wide beam again. With an almost sad heart and regret that he brought the siblings together, Kibum stared in sorry.

“Tell the captain to set sail,” Kibum ordered the other crew on board, and in another few minutes, other clings and clanks below grumbled horridly, the anchor whipped up, and they were off at the beginning of the adventure.

 


	14. Mortal Secrets From Immortals

What was he supposed to do? He wasn’t a heartless man--- no of course not. He knew that trouble was around to stay, tease some more and maybe multiply through the days if not corrected. Thus he had to correct it. He had to apologize to Yoona, perhaps make up for the mistake he had done, a very huge apology required. But that was impossible, she must have been scarred for life of what she saw. That was too much; maybe keeping it a secret was a bad idea after all.

_“What are you going to do?”_

_“I...I have to leave,” she replied,shaking her head with a smile. “The more of a reason I have to really leave because she would be cursing my name for the rest of her life.”_

_“She’s...she isn’t like that,” Changmin reasoned, almost in defense, believing what he barely knows as his wife. “Yoona isn’t that type of person so you’re...lucky.”_

_She shyly took his hand, her bag near her as the morning entered his chamber, minutes after the incident and where probably, Yoona had spread the news with Krystal and Seohyun, blabbing nonstop about how she caught her husband cheating._

_“You take care of yourself, Shim.”_

_He smirked, pulling her to a strong embrace even though something else ached inside. “You keep yourself safe in China as well.”_

_“Worlds apart,” Sooyoung remarked. “But that’s all right. I have you inside my heart. And I’ll return when I can.”_

_Changmin planted a kiss on her forehead. “I’m sorry, Sooyoung. I... I can’t... I don’t know what to do now, with Yoona knowing and...”_

_“At least now she does. At least now,” she stopped him. “I’ll be away and she has nothing to worry about anymore.”_

But maybe letting go was even harder. Maybe Sooyoung shouldn’t have just left. Maybe if stupid traditions were broken, perhaps he could marry her instead. In the afterlife, he would have to try again. Yoona could have been right about changing tradition, and he was in fact wrong of keeping it. Maybe even then Yoona had really dispised him, loathed him as a husband. Maybe before she already knew of his relationship with Sooyoung---answer to why she had been avoiding getting any close.

 Again he pulled a knotch of hair, unable to sleep too well of what happened the other morning.

“Thinking?”

He bolted upright with that startle. Sometimes he even could mistake Krystal for Yoona. They seemed to love sneaking without ever noise, like they were trained for it.

“Yes, because I know how to,” he answered his sister, as the girl got up and sat beside Changmin. The throne room was as wide and as peaceful as it had been, without any parties and celebrations recently. He was in his father’s seat while she took her little one. Four chairs according to the members of the monarch they were now in were settled at the front of the throne room. To each corner were hallways, leading to respective places around the palace. Facing him were the doors that opened to the village, and above these was a high-arched window, where the horizon met his eyes, the sun lining parts of the sea.

 He was watching the sun rise up, bothered by the noise from the horses and some of the main gates crunching earlier--- he couldn’t go back to sleep anymore after that. And surprisingly the other little pain was awake.

“Why are you up at this hour, Krystal?”

She shrugged. “I don’t sleep. I’m an... insomniac!” The last word was like a random guess, Changmin noticed, how she seemed to be six rather than sixteen. He thought about Krystal and her condition as a child, the sickly Krystal, getting hurt all the time, colds and coughs and runny noses. Her heart after all had a tear on the muscle as a child, so breathing got difficult until doctors repaired it.She was not fitting for princess life, let alone any ordinary person’s. She had to be checked upon by the doctor twice a week, before finally it stopped when she reached eleven and she began to do things that pleased her. If not, be met by a tantrum, and that meant bad news to her heart as well.

“Yes, well you’re a pretty bad liar as well,” Changmin remarked, rolling his eyes. “Did the noise a while ago caused you to stir too?”

She shook her head. “I told you. I didn’t sleep.”

“Krysal!”

“Okay, so maybe I did,” she admitted, twisting her lips for Changmin uncovering her thoughts. “But only for a little of an hour or two.”

“I’m not going to ask anymore why you were up late but I hope it was studying,” he replied, laughter energizing the throne room right after

“I know what that noise was because I was already awake,” she answered, sighing and fidgetting her fingers. “But you must not tell Yoona of it.”

Changmin’s gaze hastily fell on his sister. “What do you mean by that?” Right, not tell Yoona--- he didn’t even know where in the world to begin his apology so that Yoona would actually make contact or talk to him even for a second. If it weren’t for his pride as a prince and someone who had been keeping an image clear, saying sorry would be a breeze.

“You know that Seohyun’s room is next to mine, right?” Krystal started, hands behind her back as she stood up. “I heard her walk out of the room, but it was too quiet. Then I heard voices in the hall. I’m not really sure. Seohyun sounded a little happy and worried at the same time, rushed even, but almost like begging---”

“Krystal! My god,” Changmin staggered as he got off the seat, tripping nearly on the velvet carpets of the small steps. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Did you go check her room? She could have been kidnapped or something whent the guards were having their rest. Goodness, why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He was running at storm’s pace, Krystal running behind him hoping to be given a chance to explain but the man raced upward the staircase as morning hatched finally unto the sky.

“But it’s not---”

He kept clicking his tongue, heading now to knock on Seohyun’s door. Krystal pulled his hand to make any more further noise. Irritated, she shook her head.

“Let me finish,” she spoke quietly.

“Why are you talking like---”

Krystal punched the side of his shoulder, her fists ever so powerful than Changmin’s own. “Shut the fuck up and let me talk first, will you? Yoona’s going to wake up any minute now so please give me time to explain.” Changmin rubbed the affected area, glaring.

“One minute,” Changmin responded. “If not, I’ll knock and really tell Yoona.”

“Okay, okay,” Krystal shrugged. “Listen, I went outside and saw Seohyun with Kibum and---”

“Kibum? That man kidnapped Seohyun? Why didn’t you call the guards or---”

She stomped on his foot to make him stop. “For crying out loud, he didn’t kidnap Seohyun-unnie.” Really, being talkative ran in the royal blood indeed. “He said they were going to the island in the middle of the ocean. They were getting Seohyun’s eyes back.”

“The island in the middle of...” he trailed off, eyes widening. “The island where we banished witches to? Seriously, they’ve never been there, both of them. How the hell are they going to pull this off? They will get hurt.”

“Kibum said don’t follow,” Krystal voice was cold, stony that Changmin stopped and stared for a while to check if it was really her sister speaking. “If they weren’t back by sunset, that’s the time for backup. Don’t ruin it!”

“What did they pay you?”

“No charge,” Krystal answered lightly, twirling around and eyes focusing on the steps. Changmin followed her, quietly as possible, as Yoona was still asleep. “I’m putting it on Kibum-oppa’s debt. Yoona shouldn’t know. She’ll panic and even worry for more. So our plan is to keep hush hush and tell her that Seohyun and Kibum went to town to meet...er, that peasant boy...what was his name again?”

“Kyuhyun, was it?” Changmin said. “And if Yoona actually went and visited the so-called pauper without finding her sister, what will we do by then?”

“Your charms of course,” Krystal smirked, a very cunning one, aging through it he thought. From six years old, she acted like twenty-six in an instant, now looking older and practically  _smarter_  than him. He sighed, crossing his arms.

“We are not in good terms lately,” he answered with his head down.

Krystal’s eyes were squinted. “What do you mean by ‘not in good terms lately’? Since when were you two ever in good terms?”

About to defend himself, Changmin fell short and realized Krystal was right yet again. That made her seem forty years old. “Well... I mean, we’re not arguing all the time like other couples do! And...and besides, Yoona usually made us some tea before breakfast, that’s bound to be a sign of friendship. And...and we do talk, and we do hold hands. Like other couples,” he gulped before going further. “Okay. So I’m wrong. Get to the point.”

“Real couples take care of each other,” Krystal muttered to his ear and he jolted up, scared suddenly. He saw Krystal in a new light, seeing a woman so mature she appeared to be more like the queen now, her features just like hers and even the way her voice flatly resembling her mother’s. “They sleep and wake up in each other’s arms. They hold hands because they weren’t told to do, but because they loved to do it. They kiss each other out of missing their other half, but not because people are watching. Real couples show their love through the smallest gestures like smiling and shyly slipping one’s hands into the others. Do you understand? Yes, you and Sooyoung.”

Changmin sighed, thumping his head for it. “I...If all women see it that way, then Yoona must be more than crushed.”

“More than crushed?”

“You didn’t know?” Changmin looked at this wolf in sheep’s clothing. Really, this little girl? She was an expert at underground business, digging up so many things even he himself was unaware of until she blurted them out completely. “She found out about Sooyoung and I being more than what she thought we were. I had to butt in of course and she completely took it as though it was nothing!”

She gaped. “Took it like it was nothing? This...this is serious. You have to go apologize to her!”

“I already did, Krystal and she said it was all right!” Changmin’s voice cracked, hints of panic coming to action. “Clearly she’s very bad at lying more than you are with geography!”

“Then that means she still is very furious,” Krystal responded, crossing her arms. “You really have to do something with this. See, this is your job now. Kibum and Seohyun leaving is the perfect timing to practice those rusty skills of yours.”

He scoffed. “You want me to treat Yoona...like how I treated Sooyoung? Would you think it’ll work? She’s not that stupid to see my real purpose. She’ll probably say, ‘You’re doing this because you’ve done something bad.’ And then bam, we’re awkward again.”

Krystal slapped her forehead, facing her tall brother. “You’re pathetic for a prince. I don’t even read books but I have one thing you don’t have. Common sense, maybe?”

“Yet, that’ll be insincere,” Changmin answered, looking at this closely.

“Make it sincere,” she rolled her eyes. “If you don’t start making up for the days you’ve wasted on another girl, I don’t think you two will ever last to be rulers. Remember, father and mother will be evaluating not how much you know about the kingdom, and everything around us but also the two of you working together. And if you fail,” she paused, smiling widely. “I’ll be the one to rule.”

“Yes, and get married as well,” he joked, Krystal glaring. “And that evaluation is a little unfair. We are only in this situation because of the war. If Yoona and I were married later on, perhaps things would be better or something. Or if we were never married at all, that would be the best! Look at this way: Yoona and I were destined to marry each other because we are the next leaders of the joint kingdoms Byungmi and Sangdokchi. They will be joined according to history if war strikes. And here we are. Civil wars with other nations, Byungmi coupling with our kingdom...” Krystal yawned. “My point is that if war never hit us, Yoona and I wouldn’t be forced into marriage.”

“But it is here and this is now,” his little sister attacking. “Treat her like you really mean it. You want to say sorry, show her that. She isn’t forgiving you yet for what you did to her, I’m very sure. Besides, you are a real couple to other people. You just have to be... sincere about making things work and maybe it’ll flow naturally. Come on, you want to start today? I’ll be willing to help as long as you don’t tell her about Seohyun leaving the palace.”

Silence filled the hallway, the sun’s beam glistening through the window, touching Krystal’s dark brown hair, making it appear golden. He patted it before inhaling. He couldn’t believe how all of a sudden this little girl, earlier six, now turned into somehow a sixty year old experienced grandma. He couldn’t believe that he would be putting down his pride for Yoona. This was absolutely pathetic. There would be now way he could agree to this. He might as well barge into her room and tell her to get the hell out of his life.

“Where do I start?”

-o0o-

Telescope by his right eye, he began scouting the ocean with its powerful lens, only to find how vast and how far away they were now from Sangdokchi. The sun was up---bright yet the air blew in their direction a bit strongly to be passing along the horizon. And not a single island was in view. Was it this far now, Nichkhun couldn’t tell, holding his compass out as the ship set for east. The rest were below the deck, having a fine breakfast Victoria prepared before leaving.

With Kyuhyun and Seohyun not letting go of each other’s hands, Nichkhun reflected at it more and saw what he was missing. The color of their skin, the way they seemed to move, wouldn’t that account to them being really siblings? Would Kyuhyun care now that his emotions were running amok? They weren’t really cousins him and Kyuhyun, Nichkhun knew, but he didn’t want to see him hurt because of this, because of something that he could no longer take hold of.

Should he just tell Kyuhyun about the secret? Or was he in that position to be telling him this? Shouldn’t Seohyun be the one admitting it? But of course, she didn’t know--- she couldn’t see what was right under her nose all this time. And that would have both of them crushed to pieces.

“You didn’t even eat my ramen,” Victoria walked up to him, handing his bowl, a scowl on her pretty affable face.

He sighed, smiling and taking it from her. She also handed the choptsticks. “Thank you, Qian.”

“Do you think the sea’s still safe? You’ve been to many travels already, right?”

Nichkhun nodded, cutting the noodles halfway and swallowing them at once before replying. “Well, it’s a bit unsteady, but sky is clearing anyway. Just a little moist maybe but it’s probably nothing.”

She nudged his ribs. “Kyuhyun’s been with that princess for the whole hour. He even fed her below with his own chopsticks!”

He gravely looked at her and gulped. “Really?”

Victoria stared at him, trying to uncover what that expression meant. “Yes...really. I understand that she’s blind and all, but she doesn’t deserve  _all_ of Kyuhyun’s attention.”

Nichkhun snapped back at her, scowling. “You want Kyuhyun’s attention?”

“It’s not... that,” She shook her head, blushing, looking at her feet, slowly moving away from the boy. “It’s just that we’re his best friends, I suppose he should give that name some respect and spend more time with us and not with that princess.”

“Best friends, Victoria,” Nichkhun mumbled after her, giving back the bowl of ramen and walking away. “So stop asking for more than that.”

Enough was enough really, if being best friends was what all Victoria wanted. Nichkhun shook his head and went to adjusting one of the sails as the rope untied itself now because of the strong wind. It bothered him too much, that Qian had clearly other intentions in mind. His words though were probably not the best thing Victoria has ever heard that when he tied the ropes tightly again, as he turned she was standing there, arms on her waist, irritated.

“What was that suppose to mean?” she asked fearlessly, although her tone sounded intimidated.

Nichkhun frowned at this. “I know that you feel...threatened with the princess but Qian,” he sighed, smiling. “You’re his best friend. Stop acting like his mother or someone else. She isn’t replacing you as his best friend nor would he be needing a mother to boss him around for it. You’re just jealous because of something else and that particularly isn’t about you being his best friend.”

Victoria gasped, eyes widening. “Do you honestly think I’m jealous or something? Or that...” She drew closer, voice smaller. “I have hidden feelings for Kyuhyun?” She scoffed afterwards, looking up with arms arrested on her waist. “And I thought you were my best friend! I thought you would have noticed something else! I run to you because I thought you might feel a little threatened as well. Like...she will be taking him away from us or something.”

Nichkhun glowered. “Victoria, I don’t feel any threat with the princess coming to us when she needs friends. I don’t feel threatened.”  _Except for the fact that Seohyun and Kyuhyun could actually be siblings._ “She isn’t going to take Kyuhyun from us. And yes, I am your best friend but I think you’ve forgotten about that.”

“Forgot you were my best friend? What are you---”

Their argument was suddenly interrupted by a splash on the other side of the ocean as all other things within the  ship seemed silent. Soon the scurrying footsteps of the crew made such perfect sense that someone just went overboard.

-o0o-

One of the maids, as ordered by the young princess, whisked across the throne room and up the stairs of the west wing, her hands with Yoona’s daily tray of breakfast, complete with the tea and those honey buns she preferred. Krystal was standing at the stairway, impatient, arms crossed; and the moment she spotted the maid, she hastily grimaced.

“Really, can’t you walk a little faster than that? She’s going to wake up now,” Krystal complained.

Changmin stood in front of her chamber, behind the locked door, eyes trying to see through the keyhole if she was already up and about. The maid handed him the tray, her eyes weary and tired, panting and bowing her head. He laughed at this, quietly as he could, and patted the woman’s side.

“Thank you,” he muttered. “Run along now. Get my sister breakfast downstairs. She’s just famished, that’s why she’s acting like that.”

Again and more slowly, the older woman slipped out of the picture with a reassured smile on her face. It had been a long time since the prince was this interactive with them, particularly that he made nods and glares and other gestures if he needed anything.

After minutes of rehearsing his lines, he decided to go with it. He should knock first, greet Yoona with a smile, and then set the food aside on her table. He would watch her eat. Goodness, wouldn’t that make him hungry as well? Then he should just go back to the kitchen and request for something to eat as well. But that would take time because by then Yoona would have gone to the dining room and get her own breakfast herself. The plan seemed flawless earlier. Now he just had to knock and all of it would fall into place naturally.  _It wasn’t this difficult apologizing to Sooyoung_ , he thought.

“Changmin?”

Stunned, he looked up. Her black hair curled at the ends, lengthening up to her breast. Dark intelligent eyes came with this, slits widened a big bigger this time when they fell on the tray he was holding on to. Her lips were a faded red, not close to a pink, full and forming a smile. He wasn’t sure if her cheeks were also that red before or if he was the one who caused it. She opened the door a little wider, revealing her clear night gown, a bit transparent from hips down, so Changmin made sure not to stare too long. If ever staring was allowed, he had to keep that to himself.

“Good morning,” he said, shaking.

She kept smiling. “Well? Aren’t you coming in?”

He wanted to go in but his feet remained frozen on the rug, unable to move. He gulped, biting his lips, staring below and cursing them for being cowardly. Why all of a sudden he felt nervous or horrible or all at once scared was something he didn’t quite understand entirely but perhaps it was because he felt like a small spec and Yoona was the almighty here.

Yoona approached again and took the tray out of his hands. “Prince Changmin, do come in.”

“I’ll ask the maids to bring me up some food too,” he told her, pointing his left. “If you will excuse me.” He bowed his head, ready to go downstairs and get slapped by Krystal for escaping his fate, and then he looked back at Yoona.

“I won’t be long. Don’t eat without me!” he ordered, and then he scurried away.

“But I want to!” she yelled after him, scowling and staring at her reflection on the teacup. Something was wrong. Was she still in th same year or something? Same place? Still in the palace, right? Changmin, what was wrong with him? She found it odd that he was at her door this morning, and even stranger when he had breakfast too. He knew food was her weakness.

Her wait wasn’t that long, because Changmin was now dashing towards the door, his hands with his own tray of food, more packed than Yoona’s, she observed. He entered, placed the tray aside and then approached Yoona by her table, adding sugar to his tea.

“You have more food,” Yoona complained, eyeing his delicious roasted chicken leg. “And it looks more like a meal than my own.”

He scoffed. “Whining again? I already brought you your share!”

She folded her arms. “What’s the catch?”

Changmin clicked his tongue. Damn it, he had to be nice. “Nothing, Yoona. There is no catch.”

“Of course there is,” she sneered, picking up her cup. “There always is with you.”

He shook his head, smiling to himself. “No, not this time.”

“But what’s with this? Why are you being---”

“Look, Yoona, can’t I have a silent breakfast with my wife?” He shrieked, tensed obviously all the more that she was filling him with questions that all seem the same thing. She finally shut up, but her cheeks were as red as a tomato, head down and looking at the food. “Now, can I have that?”

She nodded, happy and contented. “As you please.”

“Seohyun and Kibum are visiting Kyuhyun today,” Changmin stated it indifferently, hoping that she wouldn’t go searching for her. “They’re...having a small adventure somewhere though but I’m not sure.”

Yoona placed a hand over her mouth. “Oh my god, why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”

He snickered. “Relax, they would be fine. They’ll be back by twilight.”

She shrugged, grinning and picking up the buttered bun. “I know they would be. Kibum’s with her so I really don’t mind.”

“I still don’t trust him,” Changmin shared. “I mean, it makes me wonder why all of a sudden this lost prince appears and is now living with us. It bothers me to no extent, although I know him. He is a nice person after all, as you...fancy him.”

“Fancy him?” Yoona nearly choked. “Fancy Kibum? Would you believe me I’m better at controlling my hormones than you?”

Changmin beamed. “Please, of course you do! You always go red when he’s around.”

Yoona shook her head defensively. “No! No! We’re just friends. Very good friends, but I don’t fancy him in a different way.”

“Then who do you fancy? Someone other than me, I bet,” Changmin concluded and Yoona tilted her head in confusion, and then later she covered her mouth to stop the bursts of laughter.

“Fancy Changmin? Fancy someone other than you?” Yoona giggled. “But I do fancy you.”

Dumbfounded upon hearing it, he stopped, eyes as large as the moon, mouth dropped. “Pardon?”

Yoona nodded nonchalantly as though it didn’t really bother her, a spoon inside her mouth. “I fancy you.”

He couldn’t help himself from coughing, in surprise or on purpose, whichever it was, he found it rather the weirdest thing his wife ever said. “What do you mean by that?”

“Eck, what’s wrong with liking you?” Yoona raised her voice, annoyed. “Although I see it as wrong all the time, but yes I am supposed to like you, right? It’s supposed to be that way until we are evaluated and until we get divorced, correct?”

He sighed heavily, a needle pulled out of his heart. So she fancied him for they were supposed to like each other. “Yeah. So that means you don’t really like anyone at the moment?”

“Not a single boy in mind,” Yoona answered.

Changmin waited until her eyes were on him, and when they finally were, he closed his mouth, gazing at her eyes, waiting to be pulled in to a deep black hole and never get out, waiting to fall in love for this was  _supposed_  to be his destiny. And before he knew it, she sunk back, sat still, patiently also repaying the look with a confused one, eyes soft and full and captivating. He looked away before the blood rushed to his cheeks.

 _You can’t fall in love in a minute_ , Changmin reminded himself.

“We have the whole day to ourselves,” he again spoke, a little scared but still remembering that he had to be brave for this. So that Yoona wouldn’t anymore feel out of place. “I’ll be your prince today. What do you want to do?”

She laughed yet again, the melodious harmony sound now echoing in his head. “Prince? But you already are my prince, silly. And besides, what do you mean what do I want to do today? Sleep, may I do it?”

“Sleep?” he swallowed the word, eyes widening. “You mean, in the morning?”  
  
“Yes, on my bed,” she answered. “In the morning, holding my dear---”

“But I don’t think I’m ready yet for us to...sleep together,” he mumbled, thin red line by his nose, ears also of the same color. He didn’t think she would rush to this kind of things, would she? Grandchildren, goodness was she serious about that one the other day? He couldn’t be passing on genes for the next generation that quick, he was much too young.

Yoona brushed her right arm, looking down. “That’s...not what I meant, though. And...I wasn’t implying us together, sleeping on my bed,” she said in a whisper.

“But if you want to do it, then I’ll be of your service,” Changmin replied worriedly without hearing what she had just uttered, looking at her at full concern.

She craned her head back at the seat, a wide beam on her face. “Misunderstanding. That...wasn’t what I meant. But nevermind. Do you want to take a stroll with Dongho and Sunmi, then?”

-o0o-

“Man overboard!”

“Seohyun!” Kyuhyun was at the edge as well, Kibum running to his side. This kind of troubles were just too much of a disaster. She was flailing her arms wildly, trying to float as much as she could, but obviously the gravity was ceaselessly dragging her down.

Unable to think, Kyuhyun stood at the rim, the crew looking for ropes and other material they could throw in the water for the girl to grab on to. And they had to do it quick, Seohyun was slowly drowning. They threw the extra life saver, a rope to its end before Kyuhyun, almost teary, yelled, “No use, she can’t see! She’s not a swimmer!”

“You can’t swim either, Kyuhyun!” Victoria added, rushing now and was about to pull him back before he lounge himself to the waters, moving towards Seohyun with the life saver at one hand. It was cold, nearly freezing to his skin, putting extra weight on him since he had a hard time going to her.

The princess’s hair was the only thing above water; the rest of her was eventually sunk. He grabbed her arm, the side of her body and lifted her up. She was already unconscious, Kyuhyun worriedly holding on to her as the men braced them upward back to the ship.

“Seohyun! Seohyun,” he flinched when she didn’t open her eyes, when almost her breathing was slow. In an instant the crew made way and Kyuhyun placed her on the floor. Soaked and unmindful of the other mutters around him, Kyuhyun pressed her chest strongly once and twice, before blowing air into her.

“Seohyun! Seohyun, it’s me Kyuhyun! Come on!” he yelled in hopes she would be get up. He performed the procedure again, still giving the oxygen he had left, his eyes watering. “Wake up, Seohyun!” After five tries still no go, Kyuhyun on his knees and lying on top of her, still waiting she would respond to his calls.

“Seohyun, you can’t die here,” he whispered, blowing another to her lips before his tears fell now. He closed his eyes, sorry, crying, guilty of having her over. The ring around his neck touching hers, his eyes was set on her. “Come on,” he mumbled without looking.

By an unexpected miracle, she coughed up, coughed up all the water inside her as Kyuhyun moved away, eyes in shock to see her moving away from him.

“Give her air,” Kibum suggested as he pulled Kyuhyun up.

She continued coughing, strong entries and accumulation of water as she breathed hard, her body riveted upward. Everyone clapped their hands at the spectacle, at the life Kyuhyun had saved. He advanced towards her again, held her hand into his and kissed her forehead.

“It’s me.”

She knew that already. The smell of him, although wet, was lingering. A whimper came before her arms were wrapped around Kyuhyun, embracing this man that had her life come back. He stroked her hair, an arm over her shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I’m very sorry. I didn’t watch you. I could have almost lost you. I’m sorry.”

She shivered in his arms, still cold, unable to speak. Kyuhyun was against her skin, too close for comfort. Before she knew it, she was taken away into a cabin where she could change into clothes while Kyuhyun was also dragged away to be dried from the cold. He and Kibum were discussing about other strategies to approach a witch, when suddenly a pole slid, hitting Seohyun when she bent down to pick up her scarf, and accidentally pushing her off the ship. He saw it with his bare eyes and had little time to think. All he knew was he had to save her. She was too precious to go, she couldn’t. Not this time, they were going to that island for her.

Two hours passed and they hadn’t seen each other after surviving the rough currents. He walked up to see that they were about to arrive at their destination, a rather rotten frown on his face.

“You think that was heroic?” Victoria’s voice was behind him and he turned to face her. Her brown hair was down, swaying with the wind as they pulled on them, her eyes also concern still over what happened to Kyuhyun. Her face was too red, in rage and in fury, almost scared to death of the diving incident.

“That was pathetic! That was stupid! You could have died, do you understand?”

He shook his head calmly. “I know. I was almost a second too late from losing her completely.”

“That’s not the point! What I meant was you could have just waited until someone, a swimmer in particular, went in to pick her up.”

“By then she would have been dead, Qian!” he rejected her thoughts. “Yes, that’s lovely, isn’t it?”

“But then I would have lost you!” Victoria growled intensely, the chirping of the birds above settled. Kyuhyun’s eyes darted at her, hating how she seemed to be fine with Seohyun drowning. “Save someone when you can’t even save yourself? Stupidity!”

“At least I tried to save her,” Kyuhyun hissed. “At least...I did save her. If I did lose my life for the princess, I had given my word for it. I promised no harm will fall on her. And this happened.”

Clearing his throat to chirp in, Nichkhun was right behind him, breaking off the fight. “We’ve arrived.”


	15. Untainted

It was an ordinary day. Every day was, to her and to him, the two most liable if anything happened to the kingdom while the real monarchs were away. For normal weekdays, the tutor would come in, give them an hour of boring lecture mostly of about politics, and then leave. They were dismissed for their lunch, as easy as that. But because she found it amusing to skip class, they did, with Changmin somewhat half-heartedly refusing with the idea. But he was forced to, so he had let the tutor go home with a very wondering look.

But today was all in all, not so ordinary. For Changmin seemed to change, Yoona noticed, maybe after she had busted his tricks, after seeing that Sooyoung was gone. Deep in thought, the princess held tightly the ropes of her horse Sunmi, while her prince, the one she married was by her side. They had been strolling around the palace without words exchanged, almost passing two hours--- grunts, sneezes and yawns.

Finally, as brave as his name implied, he spoke, “A penny for your thoughts?”

She looked up to him, her mouth dry, saliva ran out. “Excuse me?”

“Oh forget it, I was trying to strike a conversation and you go ruin it with your pride,” Changmin rolled his eyes, moving at a faster pace than she was.

She smiled. “I’m sorry I just...was thinking of why you’re being very nice to me today. It must be something you ate.”

“Or is the fact that I want to be nice,” he lied.

“No, far too unbelievable,” Yoona answered loudly. “Not even the queen will buy that excuse. You’re after something I just don’t know what.”

“If you’re thinking about... Sooyoung,” Changmin gulped, remembering Krystal’s voice. “ÿYou have to be sincere to her! No lies because it only complicates things, do you understand me?’ “I’m...sorry, Yoona. I really am.”

“I said it’s okay,” she retorted rather heavily, words cutting through him like a sword. “You’re forgiven.”

“No, I know I’m not,” the prince gritted his teeth. “You know so well I would feel all guilty inside and then you’ll act as though it’s all right, it’s already resolved. Nothing’s going to happen wrong again. But to be honest, Yoona that kind of attitude drives me mad. I don’t know what to do with you or how I can ever pay back the hurt I’ve put you through and that’s why I’m being nice. So you won’t hate me anymore and forgive me for real this time. See! And now I’m the one telling the truth while you go, ‘it’s okay’ again even when it’s not. Yoona, this is not okay, not normal for you not to be angry.”He sighed deeply, before looking away, red in the face, a little afraid that it might have been a pathetic need to release all his frustrations.

She was in fact stunned. Her eyes were large now, a hand over her mouth as a smile found itself in position. Her eyes brightly flickered when he looked back at her direction again. She started laughing as though it was a joke and so he felt like leading ahead of her.

“It’s not that funny.”

“It’s not that I have every right to be angry anyway,” Yoona remarked and Changmin turned back to her at once. She nodded, smiling. “Confused?”

“Surprised,” he said. “Go on.”

Yoona chuckled silently. “It’s that I have no right to be angry.”

“What do you mean? You actually do have that right! You should have thrown Sooyoung to the dungeon or burn her in front of my people for...what she did.”

They stopped, Yoona initiating, as she got off Sunmi and waited for Changmin to be with her on the ground again. He looked at her, those eyes that seem so endlessly patient and charming; could they be really speaking of the truth? They stood side by side, looking into each other’s eyes before Yoona beamed.

“Take my hand,” she started, and Changmin, a little afraid, actually followed. They held hands, out of Yoona’s orders this time and not anyone else’s. “Close your eyes.”

He pulled away at once from her. “What? What are you going to do?”

She giggled, putting a hand on his face and taking his hand with her other one. Her heart racing along, she closed her eyes and bit her lip, waiting that he pulled away his hand but this time, a minute or so he didn’t. He just stood there, frozen, dumbfounded. What was it that she wanted to do with him? Why was she touching him now?

“Your heartbeat’s a bit fast,” Yoona noticed as she opened her eyes, holding now her ring and while the other hand was still in Changmin’s. “My god, I’m not going to do anything brutal to you so don’t be afraid. I just said close your eyes.”

He followed at once and waited. The thunder rose up to his head that he could hear its thumping increasing, loudening at each second. Yoona gripped his fingers strongly, strength he had not even felt from Sooyoung. She always was careful with him, very careful of the prince. But now that this girl was someone of his level, she didn’t have to worry about him getting hurt, since timely, Changmin had hurt her first. Her hand fit his perfectly, as though like a puzzle piece, the sugar to his coffee and the paper to his ink, that thinking this Changmin smirked.

“So? How does it feel? Anything?” Yoona curiously asked, looking him in excitement as he gave a small shake of the head.

“I’m sorry, but there’s none,” Changmin answered, in a tone he seem to use all the time with Yoona. Strict and indifferent.

She nodded, letting go. Instantly, this action put the prince back to reality. Her hand was warm, although cold when she was frightened and nervous, but this time they were actually great to hold on to, trusting him of some sort. This sort of comprehension was never reliable, Changmin then concluded, shrugging it off.

“I see,” she cleared her throat and went back to her horse. Changmin mounted on his. “Shall we start strolling again? A few more and we’ve circled the palace!”

“Wait, wait, wait!”the prince snapped. “What about the rights thing? Why are you not getting angry anymore?”

“I’m not in the position to be, silly,” Yoona giggled, looking down. “Besides, if you didn’t feel anything from my hand, then I believe the more I am not worth the reason of feeling hurt.”

Changmin finally understood what she wanted to say. “But you are my wife. So you should be even for a little reason.”

She shook her head. “It is just a name. I am nothing but a tool. We are nothing but tools for power. And I have made that clear when I engaged myself to substitute your girlfriend.”

“Yoona, substitue...is never the word,” Changmin coughed. “And what does holding my hand have to do with it? Tell me, for some reason, are you in love with me, Yoona? Is that the reason for why you cried?”

Yoona flinched, moving away and shaking her head. “Really, like I said, I do fancy you but not really like you in that manner.”

“A hint of admiration?” Changmin pressed on and she laughed.

“Not even close,” she stated as indifferently as she could, controlling herself not to falter in front of the man. “Why? Do you want me to fall in love with you?”

He shrugged. “I believe we had a deal of whoever fell in love first will risk their meals. So it would be great to hear you have.”

She chortled even harder at this, trying to reach Changmin and punch him off but she knew the man would never allow that. Somehow the atmosphere had fallen to serious yet again, Yoona sighing inwardly. “When are Seohyun and Kibum coming back?”

“For the tenth time Yoona, they’re visiting Kyuhyun and will be back at sundown,” Changmin managed, rather safe now that Yoona stopped inquiring about his emotions because he really had no idea how to answer her anymore, and sometimes resorting to lying had been difficult for him now that he was guilty of hurting her.

“So, shall we go visit him as well?”

Changmin woke up with a startle at her words. “Visit him?”He choked. “But they’re kind of on an adventure together, them both and Kibum. I really don’t know where.”There it went, half-lying yet again.

She pouted. “Oh, I wanted to go with her. Anywhere’s an adventure as along asyou’re not there. I realized how boring you are to be with.”

“Okay, that’s not very nice,” Changmin scolded Yoona, with now bringing up a scowl.

“I’ve never been nice,” Yoona spat. “Like you said, Seohyun’s nice. I’m evil and vain.”

“You’re the more boring one,” he replied immaturely, swinging his horse farther to the left that the gap between him and her grew wider. “You don’t tell me anything about yourself. You always avoid my questions, reply ‘it’s okay’ when it obviously isn’t. And you’re the worst liar, you know that? We’re trying to know each other today as though this is the first time because we’ve never really given each other a chance to talk! It’s always ‘I’m okay’. You should be dubbed as the princess of that. Do you get me? Now if you’re not being cooperative, we both won’t pass for the evaluation and guess what, no coronation. You won’t be queen while I can’t be king. If we don’t--- hey, don’t you turn your back on me!”

Sunmi hastened her gallops that Yoona was actually riding a horse ought to race, ought to be jumping ropes with some idiosyncrasy, and that couldn’t be happening. She had minimal experience with controlling a runaway horse, that apart from the fact that she was grinning, she was frightened---oh so afraid that she might actually fall off Sunmi without knowing it. The air touched her face so swiftly. And to Changmin’s concern about Yoona’s disrespectful ways, he followed her, hurrying in a manner of which he had learned through the years.

He wasn’t fast enough, to even think of the consequence to this that as she turned around the curve, in Sunmi’s strong momentum, Yoona slipped off her horse and ended up on the ground, he stopping a few meters away and getting off from his horse just as quickly. He ran to her like how any prince would, a little shocked that she was still laughing at this situation.

“You’re crazy!”Changmin shrieked, seeing her bruised right leg and scratched arms. “Really, you’re just fucking nuts now look where you are.”

“You’re talkative!”Yoona reasoned, laughing harder and flipping her hair. “You’re all talk.”

Clicking his tongue, Changmin shook his head, bewildered at the wounds she had. Nobody was around them, no nurses or any of the maids. He looked at her again and fixed her hair because some of it fell on her face. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m Yoona.”

“Of course, she isn’t Changmin. She’s fucking insane.”

She giggled, slowly forcing her knees to pick her up, but as she stood, she fell, Changmin holding onto her arms in time and she blanched. “That hurts, careful.”

He let go and Yoona was again on the ground, Changmin panicky. He bent down and took her unexpectedly to his back, carrying her now that the princess even looked surprised. “You’re a trouble magnet. I can’t stand living with you this way. If you attract trouble, I might as well jump off a cliff.”

“Careful! My leg hurts,” she complained loudly.

And Changmin held her even tighter than a while ago, her arms dangling by his shoulders. “You’ll have to bear with that stupidity for the rest of the day. Now I have to clean you up and get those wounds patched.”

“You aren’t in the position to that,” Yoona said, patting his head like he was her dog.

“I am because I’m your husband,” Changmin answered, obviously getting tired from carrying the load behind his back. She was so skinny, how could one be this absolutely heavy. “I have to do this even when it’s against my will.”

“My mother would have given you a kiss for that,” she told him shyly, putting her head to rest on his shoulder. It was such a good thing Yoona didn’t face him or he could have suspected that this was really his doing, that he wanted to help her, and the red blush on his face gave away the lie.

He snorted. “You can always do that.”

“Will you permit me to kiss you on the cheek?” Yoona excitedly wondered and he knew she was being playful again.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. “As long as it isn’t too much.”

Her lips were just a few inches now that upon quick reaction, Changmin turned to his side, his face all red. She was so close, time suddenly freezing that before he knew it, as if his heart this time had ordered him to close his eyes, and her lips touched his. A small smack was all it took, Yoona moving away, again just as red as he was.

This was the first kiss.

“I...I’m sorry,” she uttered, lying her head on his shoulder. “I shouldn’t have...”

“That’s all right,” Changmin told her, walking back to the palace. “You’re in the position to do that, anyway as I am also.”

-o0o-

The shore was of grayish sand, something not usually seen in Sangdokhi where sand was as clear as the waters. It was gray, mixed with a couple white ones, but still dry and dull, with no seashells at all. Victoria was first to notice this, walking up behind Kyuhyun who had guided Seohyun now down to the shoreline. The other crew was leading, along with Kibum, who had royal blood, off to talk with the wardens. The Prison of Yesseu as it was called was at the middle of the island, each radius equal to the other anywhere from the spot. It was where the witches and other poweful being were banished to, and where all their magic was taken away from them.

“It’s so much different here,” Victoria said sadly.

“I know,” Kyuhyun agreed, holding on to Seohyun who was a still slightly weak from the earlier misfortune. “The trees seem awfully dead, a forest of dead looking trees.”

“They still have leaves so I don’t think they’re dead,” Nichkhun observed as they started walking. “But the stranger thing is that you can’t hear anything but the waves. No birds.”

Seohyun coughed quietly until Kyuhyun took notice of her, her body a little cold. “Nothing. There is nothing.”

“Are you all right?” Kyuhyun asked, both his cousin and Victoria paying attention to them as he took off his coat and wrapped it around the princess. She wouldn’t stop coughing, until Kyuhyun grabbed her hand worriedly. In this action, the other two looked away, both out of hurt: Victoria who kept thinking that she would someday lose Kyuhyun and Nichkhun who thought somehow suddenly the bitter end would show up after Seohyun retrieved her sight.

“You’ll have to be brave,” Kyuhyun whispered and she nodded.

“Oppa...promise me nothing bad will happen from here on,” she requested, as they continued trailing after the other two.

Kyuhyun was taken aback. “Seohyun, I love to say that but I believe words would not be enough to fight whatever may come---”

“Give me your word, and my heart is yours,” she bargained and Kyuhyun embraced her stronger.

“My god, Seohyun...” he spoke slowly. “I will risk my life for you, and you know that. I’ve done that. It’s just that I’m afraid that promise will be broken and your heart will never allow itself to be with me. And I can’t...I won’t know what life would be from then on, if your love would never be mine.”

“Then...” She pressed his hand tightly. “Just say you’ll stay no matter what happens. That’s enough of a comfort for me, to know you’re there by my side. Stay with me.”

He bit his lip, planting a small kiss on the side of her head. “As long as you don’t go too far from me or I’ll never be able to reach you.”

“I don’t want to leave in two days,” she confessed sadly, Kyuhyun’s heart breaking. “But I’m afraid I have to.”

“Then I’ll go with you,” Kyuhyun rushed and she giggled out of this. “We’ll be together.”

It wasn’t long before they had caught up with Kibum, the prince who thought of this entire plan in saving the younger princess’s eyes. He still took it as a burden that Kyuhyun was actually the long lost prince, that Yoona was in love with a man she could not have as her own, and Seohyun would be returning blind if this didn’t work at all. And since the latter was the easiest, he wanted to deal with it first. Knowing now almost everything, every time Kyuhyun moved next to Seohyun, Kibum always took her away,separated them both and pretended that he had something important to tell Seohyun. These actions, although did not anger Kyuhyun, brought suspicions for Seohyun.

“What did the warden say, your majesty?”wondered Nichkhun.

“He doesn’t allow us to borrow one,” Kibum shrugged. “But there’s a witch in living just near here and she’s just been released from prison. She’ll be the one helping us.”

And the further they ventured now, the clearer was a small hut, made out of bamboo and other native leaves that grew in the area. Kibum, being in the lead, knocked on its door, the rest just watching.

With a rusty lock, it opened and an eye peeked to see who was here for the visit.

“The warden says that you are someone just released from the asylum for witches,” Kibum spoke stritcly, his words constricted and chosen accordingly. “And you are someone who may be able to help us.”

“Who are you?” Snapped the witch.

“Prince Kibum of Dongsook,” he answered clearly, bowing his head.

“Then if you’ve spoken to the warden,”leered an old woman’s voice. “I believe you know the words. A witch will generally help a mere mortal if he tells her the keys to her magic. What are the words?”

“Keys? What does she mean by that?”whispered Victoria to Nichkhun who crossed his arms.

“As I know, every witch on this island is locked down of their abilities by magical spells spoken only by the warden,” Nichkhun answered. “Or someone of royal blood in our case. Those are the keys that will release them and give them their powers back. The keys can not only unlock magic, but can also lock it back so that the witch won’t use it for evil.”

Kibum cleared his throat, “Hansook Shibsan Eultaeng.”

The witch disappeared from their eyes, Kibum falling back as the door shut loudly, angrily, forcefully. Frightened of what would happen, they were all silent, waiting until something,anything happened, that Kyuhyun could no longer let go of Seohyun as she seized his hand like this was now or never again. A light mist clouded the area, a very acidic kind that almost everyone had their eyes closed, tears accumulating. That except for Kyuhyun and Seohyun, surprised that they felt no pain from this all.

Then abruptly a gust of wind blew, clearing the place. When everyone opened their eyes, a woman in black, around middle-age perhaps because of the few gray hairs on top of her head, was in front of all of them. She clapped her hands snappily to get their attention.

“I thank you your majesty,” the witch stated happily.

“It’s just temporary,” Kibum addressed. “Now, will you do something for us?”

She gladly smiled, two front teeth missing. “But of course, your majesty. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Kibum turned his back and called Seohyun to his side, Kyuhyun still gripping her hand as though not trusting; that this was not enough to put Seohyun’s precious life on the line again.

“Kyuhyun, let go,” Kibum demanded harshly.

His fingers loosened. “Don’t you hurt her.”

“I thought you were a brave man,” he reprimanded him. “You told me you trust me. Then do you now, Kyuhyun? Cowardice is not the solution to any of the problems we are facing,” the prince insisted, holding now Seohyun and giving her to the old woman, Seohyun squirming lightly at the foul smell coming from the chuckle.

“Isn’t she a pretty sight?”teased the older woman.

Kyuhyun was fuming. Something was wrong, of all the things wrong--- he felt it. This was somehow all wrong. The witch circled Seohyun, with her head down, as she was undeniably growing red and tired, something he was also from the moment he stepped on the island. There was the strong invisible force yet again, the one when princess Yoona fainted as well during the marriage ceremonies. That was the same eerie feeling. Heavy on the heart, the body growing totally weak, and before you knew it, you would lose consciousness and wake up back in your own bed. That was what Kyuhyun feared the most, that he would not be able to protect Seohyun because of some unknown aura already killing his soul.

“Your eyes? When did you lose your sight, my dear?”asked the witch.

Seohyun gulped. “When I was ten, it suddenly faded. That I woke up and there was no light, just darkness.”

“Then I’m sorry but I can’t help,” she answered, shocking everyone else that Kyuhyun hurried closer to them, Nichkhun and Victoria also at a closer range, somewhat infuriated and Kibum, apparently the one with the least expression, scowled.

“Hansook---”

“You can’t be serious? You’ll take away my powers now?!” grunted the witch, focusing on Kibum. “Look, I’ve tried what I can do for her and she isn’t one to be cured. The spell on her is far too powerful. No witch can repair it!”

Seohyun’s eyes closed slowly, her frail body falling to the ground. Nichkhun rushed to her side the fastest, putting a hand over her forehead that could have heated rice and burn it. She was too warm for touching that he tried his best waking the poor princessup, but still no go.

“Shibsan...”

With Victoria struggling to keep him calm, Kyuhyun pulled the lady’s collar and raised her up, angered. “So what? We fucking went here for nothing and then you’ll come to disappoint us out of this? You deserve to be in Yesseu, now I know. And you don’t need your powers. You don’t understand that she is someone that needs to get her eyes back. She’s the future queen of Byungmi, her whole kingdom is counting on her. Just fucking give us something, another way. I’ll do anything.”

“Eul...” Kibum stopped when the witch raised her palm up.

“Enough!” she yelled, all of them moving away. She stared long at Kyuhyun. “You’ll do anything for her? What is this show? She’s a princess, and you’re a what? If you think something will come out of this, I’m sorry to disappoint you again, but this is pathetic. What can you do, young man? Swoon her to death? And even if you two live together, what will come out of this? That you know nothing of being a prince while she knows nothing of being a housewife. That is what divides the mortal world. The classes must marry someone from their class in order for society to work. She will never love you back.”

Kyuhyun’s fist was about to meet her face when Kibum held him, pushing him back. “Kyuhyun, get a hold of yourself.”

“If you want another choice,” the witch started, crossing her arms daintly. “There is. But it’s impossible. If you are able to come back with the elixir of youth in five days, then I can cure her back.”

“The elixir of youth?” Kibum was amazed hearing it. “That’s... that’s impossible. It doesn’t exist! And in five days? The princess would be leaving in two days, we...can’t.”

“Better do it now or the princess will not only lose her sense of sight but everything she has, like hearing, talking...” the witch cackled heartily, almost as though she was truly thinking she had won this round.

“Hansook Shibsan Eultaeng,” Kibum quickly hissed, before anything else happened and the witch turned pale, weaker, without noise she crawled back to her hut. “Until then, your powers will be suspended.”

“Kyuhyun!” Victoria cried out of nowhere, the two other boys hastily glancing at them. Kyuhyun was on the ground as well, heating up, burning with a fever, also as unconscious as Seohyun was. Qian worriedly slapped his cheek, begging him to wake up.

“Hey, Kyuhyun!” Nichkhun turned to his cousin, pulling his shirt up. “It’s no good. They’re both down for the day. Let’s get back or Princess Yoona might grow tired of waiting.”

“They didn’t eat lunch,” Kibum revealed, clicking his tongue, an arm already extending to carry Seohyun. But of course, that wasn’t the reason. He knew, and so did Nichkhun. But neither one wanted to admit it, neither one was aware that the other knew of it.

It was the same thing that attacked Yoona during the night of her wedding. And now it attacked the two other siblings.

-o0o-

“I’m tired,” she told him wearily, bending her knees.

“Not until you perfect it,” he countered, holding her by her waist again and extending the right arm. “A few more twirls, and this time you have to stop stepping on my shoes.”

“You’re too noisy,” Yoona commented, closing her eyes as the band played yet again, pulling on the strings of their violins and basses. The piano man repeated the chords and they were on the floor again, dancing gracefully waltz which was on Yoona’s most hated things she had to do.

“And does stepping on my shoes work?” Changmin asked and almost at once realized the answer, Yoona laughing at this. She was in fact very tired, and still limping. Her head fell on his shoulder, almost like she was falling asleep with the sun now illuminating the throne room orange. It was sundown, and no sign of Kibum or Seohyun or even that Kyuhyun entered the palace.

She waited, and waited, until Yoona thought waiting was too much, so with the soothing music, she instantly ended up falling asleep. Changmin didn’t mind at all, because she needed rest after nearly breaking her legs. So with much play, Krystal, at the doorway giving him a thumbs up and winks, clapped her hands excitedly and pointed to the staircase. Changmin smiled and pulled away.

“Yoona?”

She stirred awake, shaking her head of the dizziness. “I wasn’t sleeping! I swear, I heard you the first time!”

He laughed at this, holding her hand. “Nah, that’s all right. Krystal made your bed. You can rest if you’re tired.”

“Who said I was? Hmmf!” She said with closed eyes, shrugging.

“You are tired,” Changmin insisted.

“No, I’m Yoona,” she answered quirkily, making Changmin frown. “Besides, I’ll wait until Seohyun’s back.”

Changmin grabbed her hand and dragged her now the staircase, despite her complaints and other endless rants. He opened the door for her, and silently she walked to the other side so that she and Changmin were face to face already. Today was an ordinary day, to him and to her, but something distinctly separated it from the other ordinary days. Because today, they kissed and Changmin was sort of waiting for the second time to happen. For practical purposes only, he then reasoned. Nothing more. He wasn’t in love with her. No, absolutely not. He leaned at the doorway, Yoona’s eyes closed--- and he knew he had to take that oppurtunity before she completely retired for bed.

“Yoona,” Changmin bravely spoke, a little shaky.

“Hmm?”

He swallowed, putting his lips on hers before she opened her eyes and was first to move away. A little shocked, her eyes grew upon realizing what he did. He frowned, bowing his head. “I’m sorry...it’s...it was not...”

_But to love you is merely as impossible as circling the whole universe._

Yoona bit her lip, her heart sort of running laps. “It’s okay. I mean...”

“Your majesty,”disturbed a familiar voice, a young man’s voice that Yoona suddenly spun around to see him bending down that his face almost touched the ground. Changmin looked surprised to see a few scratches on his clothes, that they must have had a tough ride. He faced them both now.

Yoona worriedly dashed towards him, though obviously not as better as before, wrapping her arms around the man in full concern. “Where have you been, Kibum? Do you understand that I’ve been so worried about you? Where’s Seohyun? Where’s my sister?”

He unlocked the embrace and met her eyes. “And you?” He looked at Changmin as though he had commited something wrong, suspicious already of the prince. They returned frowns at once. “I leave for a day and you break your legs. What exactly happened?”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Yoona cut him off, shaking her head while glancing at her prince. “Where is Seohyun?”

Guess diverting the matter did not work at all, Kibum decided and so he had his head down, a little guilty. “Something happened, I’m sorry your majesty.”


	16. Whilst They are our Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be in five different perspectives (in proper order: Seohyun, Kyuhyun, Yoona, Changmin, Kibum) so your attention might be diverted likewise.

SEOHYUN

Darkness envelopes the universe, a universe I have seen along with my sister where we let the lanterns fly into the air and light up the whole world. But right now, it is blank as the starless sky, so is my sight. I cannot see, therefore, everything to me is darkness. Yet in this darkness I can still hear the outside world as they gossip more about our family’s secret past, about my mother’s ability in witchcraft, about my brother who is still missing up to this day. I can still smell the stench of blood along the way, even in the castle walls in Byungmi, and the inappropriate ways of the townspeople. I can feel fire and ice, a stronger notion of desire and disregard. To me the world will always begin as so, out of passion for things and out of hatred for it, because I see no light, not one.

Until he comes unexpectedly, and I can’t even put my finger to it. I feel more blessed and more aware, that it is not merely black and white, but the grays in between as well. I can still feel, even without my eyes, and my desire of wanting more increases for a reason I cannot ever understand. I never tell him this, for I fear he will laugh at me. He is older than me, of course, so I am frightened that he will think small of me, like how other people do, especially in the palace. Seohyun does this without complain, she does it with grace--- I am never acted upon with the so-called disregard for they see perfection, such a frail princess they will often discuss. Frail and easily broken like a vase, that is their conception of me. I hate this. I despise this idea all the more that I am thought of being insignificant, perfect but insignificant!

Yet, with him, with Kyuhyun, it’s all different. He treats me differently, a purpose I still don’t know. A princess still, but he delibrately allows me to do anything  I want when he comes to visit, and that is somehow what makes him very likeable. I like Kyuhyun and I believe it is no longer in the level of friendship but so much more. He is there to protect me but allows me to break rules, either for his or my sake I don’t know either. I love the way he laughs and takes my hand randomly, presses it when he greets me, a signature greeting I always know that is why when my unnie Yoona hold my hand as I stir awake from the dark sleep, I bolt upright in wonder.

“Kyuhyun?”

“Seohyun? Unnie’s here,” Yoona starts and the more I frown. She tightly gives my hand another squeeze, a sign I take as his alone, as Kyuhyun’s alone. “You’re back in the palace. Kibum told me everything, about you accidentally falling tired from hiking in the woods that you fainted! It’s not an every day task, you know, especially for a princess so I suggest you rest for a little while. I tried it once and I don’t think I’ll survive it---”

Kibum lies for all of us not to get scolded. A savior in sheep’s clothing. Yoona does not know what kind of hiking we have been through.

“Yah...” I softly spoke, trying to recall the events now in the island. “Kyuhyun-oppa, where is he? Where is Kyuhyun-oppa?”

“Ssh,” my unnie whispers, running her hands through my hair. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

“But where is he?” My voice has grown impatient and I can feel Yoona pulling away in startle. I know then she is biting her lips, almost like keeping something from me. “Tell me where is he and how come I don’t remember getting back on the ship and being brought back here? How come---”

“Seohyun.”

 Kibum’s voice interrupts at once, very much likely wishing to keep my mouth shut. “You’re very tired. You can’t anymore distinguish a dream from what we’ve been through. It is best you sleep.”

I sigh, letting it pass. He likes to lie these days, I have noticed now and I have nothing else to do since I am the one who forced him that I go along the adventure.

I clear my throat, still growing impatient. “But where is he?”

“Yoona, it will be rude of me to say this but I think I heard Changmin calling you from his study,” Kibum begins and I can feel my sister getting off the bedside and on to the floor. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep Seohyun in company for the moment.”

My sister sighs. “That grown man! I will be back, Seohyun.” And the door slams right after her.

I feel weary of getting no answers to this, until Kibum, his footsteps echoing, turns to the other side of the room and stops by my the bedside table. To no surprise at all, my hands are quick as any arrow I throw and I then grab my ring, which I also do not know was actually lying by the so-called table. I really have no idea, like some instinct, a very strong one, forces me to get a hold of it or something unspeakable might happen. My ring has never been separated from me, in any way or another, only when I sleep because it gives you the more nightmares if you sleep with it.

“Kyuhyun’s back in his own home, resting as well,” Kibum explains to me and I feel relieved for it. “He fainted just after you did.”

“Thank you,” I reply, getting uncomfortable. I do know Prince Kibum is a friend, and he is really charming to be with--- always takes care of you, sets rules though and makes sure well enough you do not break them. He has this temper, only with Kyuhyun and me but for the rest, especially for my unnie Yoona, he has the calmest soul.

“It’s only fair that you answer my questions as I have answered yours.”

Now that I do notice it, I can sense what Prince Changmin has always been saying about the unknown prince. I am growing suspicious with his actions, the way he seems to be at times hidden, at times talkative. I can’t understand sometimes his tone of speaking, and it frightens me a little.

“Seohyun-ah,” he strikes a conversation and I sit up at once. He travels to the other end of the room again as I tie the ring around my neck. “Will be it okay if you tell me more about that ring of yours?”

“This ring?” I ask, still holding it. “What about it?”

“Anything,” he replies. “Anything perhaps. It makes me wonder how come you don’t let go of it, and Yoona seems to be very protective of it as well.”

“The ring is magical,” I at once blurt, unsure anymore. “I mean... it is a present from mother. She gives us these rings that are so very powerful. It is said that when someone tries to steal it or when it falls in the hands of another, they get hurt by it. Unnie has proven this multiple times already with her friends.”

Kibum approaches me now, more slowly I can hear the footsteps. “What else, Seohyun-ah?”

“It gives you nightmares if you wear it when you sleep,” I tell him. “That’s why we take it off. I assume unnie took it off me just before I woke up. I was having bad blank dreams again.”

“The vividness of these nightmares...” Kibum does not seem to stop with the interrogation. “How are they? Do they seem real?”

“My nightmares are more different than my unnie’s own,” I say, recalling Yoona’s own stories. “Sometimes mine are losing mother all the time or disappointing father. Yoona-unnie’s dreams are...well, repeating itself over and over when she wears that ring. It’s far too strong, the image of our lost brother being taken away. Unnie hates these nightmares which are pretty much the same as the other one.”

“Would that mean the ring is playing with you? Would that mean it knows your fears? Would that mean the ring is choosing certain events in life or certain events in the near future to be playing itself in your dreams? Don’t you think it is a bit odd that if this ring really is ought to protect you, why is it showing you all of these bad things?”

Such an intellectual young man, not the ordinary one you usually meet and that he really does sound like he has been studying our rings for quite some time now. “I’m sorry I won’t be able to answer that. I just know about the consequences if ever we are to break them.”

“What are the consequences, Seohyun-ah?”

 I bite my lip with that slip of the tongue and turn away from him, mother inside me feeling betrayed all of a sudden. I know it by heart, like a piece of poetry, and it is from the moment I am able to read, I instantly force myself to memorize these words that Yoona-unnie also know.

“The ring is sacred. That the ring is a representation of mother and her love for us that she sacrificed herself to protect us and conjured up these for our safety from dark magic. That the ring is the sign, if ever we locate our lost brother. That the ring if ever stolen, will no longer be of use to the thief, and he will suffer for all eternity for taking it away. That the ring can only be passed on if given up completely by the owner. That if ever we are separated far too long from these rings without meaning to, we shall not live as long as planned out by destiny, and thus early death. The ring is vulnerable and can be stolen if the owner is unconscious...” I stop before feeling my tummy turn. “Which is why I do not let go of my ring. I do remember holding it before I fainted back in the island. I must protect it, as it protects me. It is my life.”

There is that odd silence in the room; Prince Kibum as silent as the night now I feel wavering into my room through the window.

“Do you know what it is made of Seohyun-ah?” he questions after a pause.

I do my best to remember the rest of Yoona-unnie’s lectures. “As rare as a dragon’s scale, as strong as iron, as precious as gold, and as powerful as the elixir of youth.”

“All right!” He claps his hands, running to me and holding me by my shoulders. I can feel his excitement running through his hands and crossing over to my own arms, a full blast of energy streams inside, my heart pumping very very swift. “That’s it, Seohyun-ah! That’s it! If it’s as powerful as the elixir of youth, we can use the ring to get your eyes back!”

“What?” To be honest, just when I am done clearing the glass, he goes blur it with snow and I am no longer sure if that metaphor also makes sense.

“The elixir of youth in five days,” Kibum says excitedly. “The witch wants something in return to fix your eyes. She asked for the elixir of youth but... we don’t have that because it no longer exists. We can use your ring in exchange for that! She can make use of whatever she can with it, so long as she returns eyes. We can get back before you leave for Byungmi, and by then when we come back, you will be able to see. Oh won’t Yoona be so proud of us!”

He pats my back before I can speak up and gets up, turning towards the door. “I will tell her at once about this so she can come too. She must not miss this oppurtunity!”

Has he not heard me right when he made me recite that laws about the ring being sacred? I recite it like a good student and he goes around to ruin it. Does he not know that if I were to be separated from the ring, I shall die early? What good will my eyes do if I will not live too long to serve Byungmi like a good ruler?

The plan is flawed in every corner I analyze it and I be the judge to Kibum and his lying, but this is just insane--- the worst.

* * *

KYUHYUN

“He’s waking up. Oh goodness, Kyuhyun!”

Now Qian’s voice is oftentimes the loudest, and I am immune to her. What causes me to stir up is when I see auntie pulling a piece of cold cloth over my forehead. I take it off and sit up straight, realizing I’m back home, on my own mat. Nichkhun is to my side, still giving me those dark glares as he has ever since we were in the island. And it isn’t just him who does it back then, that sad excuse of a prince we all know as Kibum is just as trouble as spelled.

I find Victoria hogging all the space and air possible for consumption that Nichkhun, the hyung, moves his arm and prevents Qian from getting too close. Is it just me or is Nichkhun all in all easily jealous of me and Qian? Perhaps, nobody notices it, between uncle and auntie and along with the other people from the docks, I believe Nichkhun really has this special something for Victoria.

“How long have I been...dead?”

“Two to three hours,” answers Nichkhun and I see Victoria scowling at him. “After we got off from the port. If you count including the travel, around five.”

I rub my head and sit up, auntie putting me back down. “Your fever is still quite high.”

“Seohyun...” I say instantly, looking into my friends’ eyes. “Seohyun, where is she? How is she?”

“She’s back in her own bed. In the palace, safe and sound,” Victoria at once crosses her arms to answer.  “Where she belongs.”

I feel my heart grow heavier with it, the words from my best friend, and the words from the witch back in the island. If that division of classes is so strong, then why has fate brought us together? What makes mortals like Qian and immortals like the witch know of what our hearts beat? Seohyun is in love with me, I know that from the moment we danced--- and she knows how much I am reciprocating the same emotions. I do not understand all the more, these roads we have to get through together, roads less travelled by and roads mostly seen. I love her, and my heart shouts her name every second we are apart. I love Seohyun, and not Victoria, nor Nichkhun, nor that little Kibum shall get in the way. I will have to make means through it, even when my life depends on it. I just had to---

“You’re not in love with her.” I can’t help but snap at the speaker. Nichkhun gives me a very crude face.

Victoria has left us, and so has my aunt, which leaves me to deal with my brother, or supposed to be brother, who is in fact my cousin. He has been there for me, like Victoria, and I do love Nichkhun. It is just that he is a prick. A very annoying son of a---

I give him a smile, cheeky and almost like a grin. “What do you know?”

“I do know for a fact that she will have a betrothed someday,” he answers plainly. “A betrothed that will love her.”

I cough mockingly. “I am in love with her and I can say I never felt this feeling ever before in my entire life and girls in particular don’t entertain me.”

“But Victoria is,” Nichkhun adds. He looks away to the window and sadly stares at the moon. “A girl, Victoria-sshi who has always been here for you.”

“Do tell me how it feels to be driving the only girl you’ve ever love towards another. I love Victoria as a friend and I always will, but Nichkhun, check your heart if it’s still on you.”

He stands up, somewhat insulted with the words I use. “Kyuhyun, I am just telling you the truth, and that you and Seohyun can’t be together! Not ever, do you understand me?”

“So you push Victoria towards me so she will be loved too?” I retort, folding my legs under the sheets. He eyes me in sheer frustration. I know that look. I have seen it when we work, that Nichkhun-look of anger and irritation rising another step towards total unmanaged temper. “You love Qian, don’t you?”

“Yes as a friend,” Nichkhun frowns before pointing his finger. “Stop changing the subject. We are talking about you and Seohyun.”

“So do not drag Victoria-sshi to this,” I half-smirk. “It must hurt, you know. The way you think I will love Qian differently when you are in love with her yourself---”

“Kyuhyun, stop it!” He completely blows up. Finally. “Stop it! How dare you say things like that!”

“Because you love Victoria and you’re that infuriated with me because she likes me more than she likes you!” I give in to my temper, standing up to his level. He is red, all red and obviously cannot anymore hold back the anger that he pushes me back to the floor, my knees wobbling due to the apparent fever. I open my eyes to see Victoria up front, sitting before Nichkhun, somewhat protecting me from my hyung, afraid that I will be hurt when I am already wounded.

“Really, you two!”

Nichkhun holds back and shakes his head, clicking his tongue. “I’ll go for a walk to calm my nerves down.”

“Oh come on!” Victoria stands and follows him, also confused and dumbfounded with all these revelations. Nichkhun slams the door, his footsteps down the stairs echoing. She turns to me now, biting her lips in sympathy.

“How long have you been listening?” I wonder.

“Long enough,” she cocks her head. “You shouldn’t have done that, you know.”

I smirk. Sort of, but in her case in the dim light, Qian may have took it as mocking smile. “He shouldn’t have pushed me too hard to spill.”

Victoria sighs and sits with me. “You two have been...catty with each other ever since you met Seohyun.”

I roll my eyes and hold back my tongue to retort another idiom of sarcasm. “Don’t drag her into this. Please.” I start getting up while she does the same.

“Then stop defending her,” she snaps at me, eyes fiery. I know that look. She always throw those daggers of a glare when Nichkhun takes her apples without her knowing it, or when she is left behind while we run off to the edge for some swimming. “I think Nichkhun feels it too. Threatened...”

I can’t help myself for giving her one of the strongest hug a man can give to any girl. And she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she wraps her hands around me too, both of us quite silent. “Seohyun will not come in between us. And you of all people know that the most.”

She grips my shirt tighter, swaying a little to the side. “But I’m scared.”

And before we know it, we are dancing to a song not even played, a song not even heard. “Scared of what? Qian, you’ll always be my Qian. And you’re our best friend and we love you all the same so you have nothing to worry about.”

“But I’m scared that you’ll leave us and be with her instead,” she admits to me. “And I’m scared of the something that grows in me, that seems to have never been there before.”

“You’re like my sister,” I tell her encouragingly (and maybe it is a little discouraging). “I love you as my sister, Qian. Nothing will come between us. We are like that, okay? You and me, with or without Seohyun--- we will be best friends. I have your back while you have mine---” I let go and we both eye each other, her face a little red too, blushing I suppose.

She stops me midway of my speech and then we both finish it. “When we trample the evil world and defend the rights of all the paupers! You are my partner in crime, and we shall be like it for all of eternity!”

Laughter fills my ears like it never has. She is back. My Qian, that annoying girl for all ocassions.

“And what you’re feeling for me is normal. All girls fall in love with Kyuhyun,” I Kyuhyun love to get on her nerves for that. She punches my arm playfully and I ruin her neatly-pressed hair.

“And is it true then?” She smiles.

“The what?” I ask back.

“Nichkhun’s secret liking? Is that what you two have been teasing me about when we eat lunch together?”

I shrug for it has already been revealed beforehand. She holds my arm. “Let’s go find him then.”

* * *

YOONA

I knock slowly in wait. 3 minutes have passed, what the hell is that sad excuse of a prince doing inside? Kibum needs to clean his ears for this.

But I seem to stand corrected, for Changmin opens the door slightly, peeks at who the visitor is, and opens it widely now for me to enter. He starts walking back to his table, glasses off for it makes him look mature I always say.

“You wanted to see me, your majesty?”

Before I realize it, Changmin then comes forward, closer, a piece of paper in his hand. He gives me a rather disappointed look, I can’t picture much of what it meant until I start reading off the first part of the paper. He stands next to me, just beside me, towering like how he usually is as we lean against the comfy red furniture.

“From His highness, sending regards from France!” I half-laugh heartily, thankful that my in-laws have arrived safely now after a long journey on the ship. It took them quite a long time. “Oh goodness! This is such great news. I’m so happy they’ve made it now.”

He smiles unevenly at me, something hidden as he points down at the paper. “It doesn’t stop there. Read on.”

Now his expression makes me scowl, due also the other news written on it, orders from the queen herself and her husband that must be done immediately. More like, tonight it says, as soon as possible. Shocked, I turn to Changmin hesitantly. He is twenty-one, a very significant age in royals, while I am merely 20 who will soon reach the same age as my husband. Those years, expectant years--- why is everyone rushing?

“Sleep...together?” I stammer and Changmin sighs. “Make use of the exclusive chamber near the balcony?”

“That’s not all,” he says, sitting across me to his thinking chair, bleached in beige. “Upon their return, they want us to bear the next heir to the throne.”

I nearly faint with this, letting go of the paper and gripping the armrest. “An...heir? A son?”

He goes to me in concern, picking up the letter. “Don’t worry, they’ll be back in two months. There is no need for us to rush at all.”

“Two months too short,” I shake my head. “Hmm, how can one really make a child in two months?”

“Or we could trick them,” Changmin tells me at once, clapping his hands and eyes glistening in excitement (or as I think it is) and I really have no clue how ever are we going to do exactly that. “We can trick them into thinking you have the child. You go back to Byungmi for the meantime in nine months, and come back with a child.”

“Changmin!” I say defiantly. “That’s but the weirdest idea I have ever heard!”

“But it’s good enough,” he insists. “I mean, while you are at it, I’ll help find a child. I’ll go there often to visit you, play as the good husband and we both return with a baby. We have to visit a nursery for that, an orhpanage maybe...”

We are both silent, my emotions doing somersaults inside as I try to assess them all completely. He keeps talking, like he always does when an idea strikes him fervently, and I just remain quiet, like a good wife, following orders, not a co-leader, not a co-ruler. That is what makes queens have less powers, less authority, because of the fallacy that they are weak and frail (like my sister Seohyun who ideally is meant to be one), while men are all strong and able to rule the world with one hand and hold his wife with another.

But Changmin and I, with a platonic relationship as existent as ours, are two different beings compared to the common perception. Through little time of getting to know my husband, I realize two things of him: that he is one of the most sensitive insensitive persons I know, and that he loves his kingdom entirely. Sensitive person for he is easily insulted when I tease him about his clothes or his fighting skills, while insensitive as he drops and opens a topic with me even though he knows I don’t like it. He will force me to listen to it and insult me back. And I let him do that, for a reason I too don’t understand. 

He stops, noticing of course again that I am not paying attention. “So what about it?”

“Huh?”

“We’ll be staying in the new chamber tonight,” he repeats, annoyed. “Not listening again, Yoona?”

“I want the next ruler to be my child, not anyone else’s,” I suddenly confess, and we both are red with that idea. I see him gulp. But I am certain now. “I am the next queen, so I have the right to actually appoint my son or daughter to the throne when the right time comes, do I not?”

“Yoona,” he says, holding my shoulders. “You haven’t even allowed me before to kiss you. And now this, you know that---”

“To love you is merely as impossible as circling the whole universe,” I have my head down upon saying this, holding my breath as Changmin stops in sympathy. Oh yes, I will never forget those words, especially not that my own husband has said them to me so straightforwardly.

“I understand.”

He bites his lips. “Yoona, I too want my own blood to be sitting on that throne but our circumstance at hand is not the best one.”

“There is no circumstance,” I suddenly tell him, his hands falling to his sides. I am giving him one of those headaches he has warned me not to give him. “You and me, we are married, therefore there is no excuse that we cannot bear the next heir. We are both of age, legally capable and legally allowed.”

“So now you are giving me permission to touch you? Even when I do not even...love you?” He parts from me and sits down, head craned now, eyes closed. “Everybody has  a right to fall in love with whoever pleases their heart. We are married and together not for the reason that we love each other like the usual couples, but because we are forced to. That is the circumstance I am talking about Yoona. Love. We are the perfect couple, yet we lack that circumstance of falling in love. Our right to fall in love has been cut off.”

“It’s not a circumstance,” I reason still patiently. “Love is not by mere condition, just because you are the prince and I am the princess. It’s a choice, love is. Now if you have nothing else to say and for further decisions regarding the transfer, please notify me. I will be in my room.”

He is still as the waters of Sangdokchi. I am too, because I have never spoken quite that much sense in a long while, but maybe that can be buried deep into his brilliant skull. I turn away, hurriedly already because my cheeks are filling in to the color of crimson, until Changmin sighs heavily, loudly.

“Be there in an hour,” Changmin tells (orders) me. “We shall try to work this out. Tell the maids to have it prepared. You look so certain, so very relaxed with this mission. I wonder if ever you are in love with me, Yoona.”

I smile assuredly. “It’ll take some getting used to, you and me together. I assume you don’t sleepwalk, right?”

* * *

CHANGMIN

A choice, she says. A choice, love is! Does she not understand that we really didn’t have a choice in the first place? I feel like we argue sometimes towards  _different_  directions, like I am insisting that the rainbow is multi-colored while she retorts with a ‘but-the-clouds-are-white’ story. Similarly and almost close, but topics that never are even related. Completely insane, Yoona is. And sleepwalk? I can’t anymore differentiate if she’s using the famous old sarcasm on me, or if she is genuinely meaning it.

I breathe normally after that conversation, for it seems my tongue has tied itself to a knot, and my chest cripples the air from circulating. I can’t help it, these new things that come. Today is an ordinary day, I remind myself, from the morning I woke up to up to this minute. It is an ordinary day.

And now it scares me because it isn’t as  _ordinary_  as I have sought for it to be. I wonder how Sooyoung might have remarked about me, if she is to see me right now. The memory is still quite fresh and she must still be a little wounded from it. China is not that far, maybe around next week she will letter me. I do hope she is fine. She tells me to be brave and let her go, although that option has been what I have been trying to do. Ever since I told her about having a betrothed, she has been...pulling away and I know that it is for the best of both of us. I love her nonetheless, she is my best friend after all. She is and will be that way, I tell myself over and over again.

And if ever I do fall in love with Yoona, Sooyoung still will be my best friend.

And even if our relationship is shaky, I know it will all fall in place; although I am no longer expecting that she will still be my queen, since Yoona is here and she does feel like retaining the spot, speaking for herself about the next heir and whatnot. Sooyoung will still be my best friend, so I find that I’m not really losing her, not ever, even when the possiblity, the choice that I someday I might fall in love with my now wife who is still limping from the horse incidient earlier...

With Yoona? I can, and this night can change the world forever, her world and my own. I can’t expect to fall in love with her, but I have to try, so that this game we are playing will be for real. I promise Sooyoung after all I’ll change, and I shall, thanks to Krystal’s tips (which I am still wondering how she ever got to knowing these things when she’s only 16!). It scares me a little, this risk that I might fall into the condition of falling in love with her, when all I am doing is promising Sooyoung I’ll treat Yoona better. I will for her, but if ever Yoona take that as something else, then it’ll be troublesome from there on. She can’t be in love with me. She should  _choose_ not to.

But if ever we do...

“Oppa, I heard about the news.”

I bolt up at once, seeing Krystal coming to me in excitement, hiding that excitement in fact. “Well, it’s not...not something you are supposed to know.”

“Please, I bet you’re scared.”

“Why would I be?” I say, anxious tone revealing. I am quite very scared now that I see it from a different light. We will sleep with each other, try to be more...open with each other and perhaps we can get through this together, alive. I face my sister. “Okay, so maybe I am...a little scared.”

“Don’t worry,” Krystal ensures me, snapping her fingers. A maid enters with a tray of tea, two cups exactly, our cups I notice now as she leaves it on my table. Krystal advertises it more as she gestures towards it, as though applying other magic tricks up her sleeves.

“What about it?”

She rolls her eyes for my incompetence. My sister is always like this, really so I don’t intentionally mind. “Oh...nothing. You guys drink it first before you get into bed.”

“ _Love potion?_   Krystal, where the hell do you get this stuff?”

She cackles brightly and leaves the room. “My secrets are my own. I only put a  _little_. It wears off in the morning, I promise!”

“Does it not have any side effects, you sheep?” I spat loudly. “Really, you. I feel like you’ve been taking witchcraft lessons behind my back instead of studying politics!”

“You love me so much oppa, that’s why you’re worried,” she smiles mockingly, eyes curving like mother’s and then eventually she scowls in hatred. “Of course there are side effects! It’s difficult to perfect a love potion, you know and the ones you buy in the streets are not that reliable.”

“What makes this one so reliable then?”

Krystal shrugs. “Well, it’s better. I think. The side effects are common. When you’re under the potion, some parts that you do are forgotten or erased because they’re not really you. And...you get aggressive too much. Hmm, and it’s like a truth syrup too, gets you to confess a lot but...” she sighs. “You have nothing to worry about. You’ll be in love with her for sure!”

* * *

KIBUM

The brightest idea yet, I tell myself. It will work, I am very sure. Seohyun can hand her ring to the witch, get her eyes back and it’s all over. The story’s finished and my mission will be more than complete--- it will be  _perfect_. Perfect enough that I can fulfill what they want and even return to me my father. All I have to do is this, and won’t Yoona be ever so proud of me?

As I turn to the next hallway, I am met by this graceful being, a goddess an understatement to her real beauty. She is light on her feet, almost as though dizzy but still smiling to herself, holding her hair back by a hand. I approach her, my heart also at a sudden daze of confusion. She has always made that feeling in me, made my heart flutter, made it pump more than its usual serving. I am not in the position to actually render feelings for the future queen (who has by the way a prince for a husband) and I should not at all. But Yoona... you should know how much you have made the original mission all messed-up.

“I’ve got good news,” I say with a grin and she nods at me.

“Oh? I’m...a bit nervous myself tonight, I don’t know if its good news at all...” she trails off and we walk together down to the kitchen. I notice her left foot still is unable to do her any good, as she skips slowly, and so the time we reached the staircase, I stop.

“Do you want to sit? I mean...you look rather...in pain,” I say nonetheless and she chuckles.

“Sit by the steps? Dangerous things my mother would say.” Yoona does it best, the small smiles that carry the whole world. Right then I want to give her a kiss, an urge I have to control every time I see her.

“He can’t even take care of you, that man. I disappear for one day and you come to me all broken,” I tell her and she shrugs.

“Well, that’s Changmin after all,” she says like it is a good thing. I don’t understand her. “Now, what is the good news about?”

We sit beside each other now. I can’t help myself from grinning so wide, Yoona starts guessing. “If I’m not mistaken, the rings have a portion of the elixir of youth, don’t they?”

Yoona pauses and holds her ring pensively. “Yes, how did you know?”

“Seohyun told me,” I report. “And I know how I can get back her eyes.”

Her full attention falls on me now, very doe-eyed but still focused and wondering, and in wait, she bites her lips, an irrisistable habit of hers I begin to notice these days. “How?” she questions because I know she will have to.

“A witch is willing to repair her eyes in return for the elixir of youth,” I dare admit, but unexpectedly, she doesn’t smile, instead grimace, deeper along with the night. The spark in her eyes fade suddenly into the old dimmed one, and the enthusiasm I earlier hoped disappears. “What’s wrong?”

Yoona takes the ring into her hands and looks at it sadly. “Since the ring posses parts of the elixir of youth, it extends our life span. If we were to give it up, we could die from it. It is what keeps us stronger, I dare say it. Do you know that our bloodline is weak? It’s too weak that I was born not by conception of love, but by concpetion of something magical. We need that magic, thus the ring keeps us breathing properly. Without the rings, we could have never reached the age of 20 even, with the elixir of youth in it. Do you know the story of how our father actually asked a witch to help them bear a child? That was me.” She stops, sighing as though thinking I will never understand her situation.

“My brother, the lost prince was far stronger, though. His conception, according to mother was more real than mine and much stronger than Seohyun’s. Love really was in the air at that time, I reckon. The ring is a memory of mother so we can’t simply give it up.”

“Can we use alchemy on it so that we can break it down to its orignal---”

“This is mother, Kibum,” she presses on so I stop finally. “This is her in us, in a form of a ring. Seohyun will not agree in giving up the ring for her eyes. Not ever. But...”

Then it hits me, as sadly this time, that Yoona really has the most beautiful heart in the world, even when she knows she can die from it. “But you will give up yours for her instead?”

Silently, hands still fidling with it, this princess looks at me in satisfaction, without hesitating to give me a small kiss, one that is partly not really a kiss but still a kiss, because her lips suddenly falls next to mine, by the cheek but closely by my mouth, just a few more and it may appear just as perfect and as flawless as she is.  It is one of those nights that I probably won’t be able to sleep quickly. Afterwards she smiles lightly, head on my shoulder as I wait for the silence to leave us.

“You read me so well, I’m amazed,” she says and I let out a short laugh. “For my sister, I must do it. Mother will understand.”

“Your good news,” I then speak up, trying to sound cheerful. “What is it?”

Yoona, with her hands by my arms, gazes at me, her face clear as day. “I’ll be sharing a room with Changmin. Don’t you think this will be a good start for us?”

Right then and there, I realize how insignificant I am to her after all this time. And no amount of pressure or hardwork I try to bluff is not going to work. He has her now in his arms, I’m very sure. He has her enthralled, captured, faster than I have, and I am seconds too late. Partially breaking her legs has made her fall in love with him? Or the idea that they are alone for the whole day? Then...was it when she found out Changmin really loved someone other than her? I really don’t know how and when, but they way she seems to say it, the way she seems to talk animatedly about  _it,_ about Changmin puts my heart to pieces that she won’t ever know.

Yoona is in love with Changmin, except she doesn’t see it yet. And I have no intention in letting her see it at all.


	17. Today is the Day (my heart grows fonder)

It wasn’t long, that nearly a day and a half reached him, stuck in remembering whatever happened to the two of them the other night. Nothing, except maybe that he pushed himself too hard as she pushed herself away too hard. Rejection, oh sweet rejection he never anticipated was present, and it could be because of the love potion too. He would have never felt something so strong, Yoona was so beautiful, always had been, just that he couldn’t accept it at all.

“Changmin,” the knock from the door still hadn’t gone away. It was already sundown.  He kept quiet, sitting still in his room, stomach begging him to surrender.

His wife had always been there for him, and now she turned him away. Yoona. Yoona, what made you so different? What made you so intriguing?

This was all Krystal’s fault, the stupid love potion’s side effects had him thinking it was okay to love Yoona. It was okay to fall in love--- but the circumstance is wrong, all wrong, different, fake. Their love is a fake, surreal, a dream he wished never came, and wished never left.

“Changmin!”

He was not meant for this things, really. The feeling of love, the way Yoona was around him, how efficient she was, at how all of it seemed like a far off dream because of the potion and that they weren’t really making love, because love wasn’t existent in any of their lexicon, nor their hearts. It was not real, and that was what Changmin had been regretting the most. Because he was not in love, not really himself. But now...

“Changmin, would you open this door?”

Now, he kept questioning himself why was this all so weird and strange. She admitted things to him, he remembered, but only little things, and they were some confessions he had never heard from anyone, not even Sooyoung herself would admit. Again, it was all the love potion’s (slash truth syrup) doing. Or was it?

That she was in love. She wanted Changmin but couldn’t think straight because of something...

“Changmin, you’ve been in there since yesterday morning!”

That Yoona needed to be loved, she begged from him, but not in this manner that they would be forcing themselves to conceive the next heir.

“Changmin, are you in there?”

That she was here in Sangdokchi for her sister, and for her people, and she loved them so much she would do anything for them, a true ruler, a servant--- heart as pure as gold.

“Yah! It’s almost twilight!”

That Yoona would want Kibum to be there for her at all cost, never leave her side, and although Changmin was not quite sure if it meant  _love_ , but it sure sounded like one.

“Changmin. Come on, my prince, open it for me,” the knocking continued, but he was patiently taking it all in. “I have food. You need to eat. You _love_  to eat. You haven’t eaten since the other night. Please, it’s me, your wife.”

She could say it so finely, so easily. His  _wife_.

All at once, he had been crushing Yoona’s life, making it miserable for her dreams to come true. He might have been a man all the ladies in the village wished to have married, but he surely was the Yoona dreaded to have ever been with. And now he could not open the door, not to Yoona who was calling him since the morning, asking if he was all right.

Of course, he wasn’t all right. Yoona made him feel new, never before been exposed to the light, this Byungmi princess he had sworn to be with for all eternity. It was not the war, nor the prophecy. It might not have been love, but Changmin knew, as the epiphany held him up in nirvana, that whatever it was now that he felt, it was certainly going to stay for a very long time. And it wasn’t the potion, he knew very well. Something this strong could not merely come out of something artificial. It must be love. It had to be love. Why was he so blind?

“Leave me alone!” he finally replied, the noise stopping and a very loud sigh came from behind the door. He approached it, the knob locking and separating him from seeing her. It was just the door in between, unlike last night where they completely become too close. Yoona kept pushing him away though sadly saying that she wanted him so much. Was it so against her will to actually fall in love? Or had she already? With Kibum maybe?

He was more than confused.

“Why are you doing this?” she softly spoke, her sad face at the back of his mind.  _Because of the deal, Yoona. I was first to fall in love, even when I’m not that sure if this is really love. But if it is just the love potion, I think it should have worn off yesterday!_

“Come on, Yoona! We have to go.”

“No, I’m not leaving until he opens the door,” she flatly responded. “Changmin, open the door! We’re going to leave for Yesseu to get Seohyun back her eyes. You’re going to die of hunger here! You haven’t eaten in a while.”

“Yoona, hurry up. Kyuhyun is waiting for us at the gates,” Kibum urged even further, Changmin heard while he just listened closely. “The prince might be asleep. Let’s go.”

He could see it, not literally, but inside his head. He was taking her away from him, from this madness and into her real purpose, not being the queen of Sangdokchi, not being Changmin’s wife, but someone other than her, indeed.

“No, not yet!” she continued whining, pulling away from Kibum maybe. “Changmin, you grown man! Do not make me look after you! I have to go!” Her stabs on the door were stronger than earlier, almost like pleading Changmin to just let her in, but that man was as still as a rock.

Kibum’s sigh was the loudest Changmin had heard from any person and he seemed aggravated the more, though he was silent now, waiting for Yoona to give up.

“Just leave already!”

“I’m not going to leave until you open this fucking door, you sly man!” Yoona angrily retorted, kicking the door with her foot. “Damn it, Changmin. The waters are not safe for travelling, and while it is bearable at the moment, and while we still have time before my father comes tomorrow morning to fetch Seohyun, we have to leave now, as soon as possible!”

“Then leave! I don’t care if you do,” he answered her.

“I said I won’t leave until you eat something! You missed five meals, you glutton stop acting all strong!”

“Yoona, your majesty---” Kibum again chirped in but couldn’t anymore say another word when the door clicked. Slowly, Changmin revealed himself to them, still in his robes, chest slightly open with those shoulders so lean and simply amazing to look at. His eyes were lifeless, his face also was, probably because he had forced himself not to eat. It was this moment that his heartbeat went uptown, seeing her in a commoner’s clothing, some long skirt that reached her knees and boots of course.

Kibum bowed his head at Changmin’s ever fatigued state. “Your majesty, we were just leaving.”

“Without me?” He asked and Yoona smiled brightly.

The other prince was keeping his best manner in not to act as though he didn’t like that idea at all. “Your majesty, I thought Yoona asked permission from you and you declined to go.”

“Oh, that’s right,” he then said, shaking his head with a low smile. “Did you make the food yourself, Yoona?”

“Yes, I did and I’m not going---”

 He took the tray of food from his princess, smiling at her until his temper got to him, throwing it to the floor, uncaring of Kibum uttering what mermaid’s bear is wrong with you and of Yoona glaring at him so furiously.

Then all three were silent.

“You...you...” the princess was balling her fists to her side, tears strating now.

Changmin rolled his eyes, closed the door behind him, and added, “I said leave me alone.”

“You don’t know how much I wish I can do that, you imbecile!” she shrieked, only Changmin was again safe inside his own room, locking the door for comfort.

“You don’t know how much...how much I want to leave you alone but it seems you...” She grunted hysterically, kicking the door with her foot. “Fine! I’m fucking tired of this anyway!” She hastily grabbed Kibum now, the two of them hurriedly pacing away as Yoona continued projecting her anger on her gloves.

Sunmi, her horse, met them in the entrance, Kibum at once mounting on it as Yoona stopped, a little worried of what to do. The skies were a bit foggy, clouds floating by, and the wind outside had grown stronger since earlier.

“You coming, Yoong?” Kibum asked tensely, as she wiped her tears. She looked so delicate this way, so cowardly now that Changmin seemed to have rejected her. Whatever happened to them the other night might have triggered this stir of emotions, but then again, Yoona had always been this soft towards the prince. She always had been and, as Kibum knew Changmin to be one of the calmest persons in the planet, could not have turned hot-blooded the moment he saw Yoona.

“Is something the matter, Yoona?”

She sighed, Kibum extending his arm. She took it, and she sat behind him, Sunmi grumbling. “Let’s go.”

“Are you sure you’re all right?”

Yoona closed her eyes, leaning close to him as he gripped the ropes. She was imagining the other night, how Changmin seemed to be in love with her, but she knew he was thinking of Sooyoung. Just Sooyoung maybe, and never her. It had always been like that, anyway. “Yes, I’m fine, Kibum.”

He dabbed her cheek with his fingers, Yoona gazing at him in surprise. Foreign hands they were, a bit rough on the knuckles; Changmin’s hands were so soft, gentle against her skin. “Had your hands been always...like that Kibum?”

The man flinched, turning away with his cheeks crimson. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t...have...”

She smiled, putting her arms around him. “I forgot that you went to the military and became a lieutenant.”

“Seohyun and the others might be waiting,” Kibum responded, Yoona holding her ring. “Are you sure you’ll sacrifice that for her eyes?”

“It’s for the best,” Yoona quickly answered. “And she’s the only left heir of Byungmi. We need to.”  _Not really_ , Kibum thought.  _The other one, the main one, was still very much alive and kicking._

“Did you bring the fake elixir? You know...in case Seohyun wonders what replacement we’re going to give.”

Yoona tapped her pocket. “It’s right here.”

With a strong tug, they ventured now towards the port, to the ship that had been waiting for them, again thanks to Kyuhyun’s relentless begging to borrow, leaving behind the palace of Sangdokchi, leaving behind Prince Changmin, who was watching them from his balcony window. His princess was taken away by the young debonair prince, much dashing, much more attractive than him. How dare he do that, touching her face and wiping possibly the tears that rolled down her cheek. Such a pain, that man, acting all heroic, a fairy godmother to fulfill Yoona’s wishes. Oh these things made Changmin sick in the gut.

When he got his hands on him without Yoona trying to defend that suspicious boy...

-o0o-

“We’re here. We shall wait for when it is okay to go there by foot,” Kibum reported to the princesses aboard, Yoona still not leaving the younger girl’s side and keeping her safe in her arms. But this sort of act prevented Kyuhyun from getting any close to her, and that need had been rather uncontrollable seeing that Nichkhun and Victoria were inseparable, and his conversations with Kibum hardly lasted two minutes. This was driving him nuts, being alone, but not really alone.

That confession the other day, still left a smirk on his lips just by remembering. His hyung was pathetic, untrained, and Qian had to kiss him midway his sentence just to make him admit something and being Nichkhun, admitting was the worst weakness. It seemed fine afterwards, Kyuhyun then reflected, although Nichkhun hadn’t come home last night early, probably out with Victoria for some who-knows-where adventures. And now they would not leave each other’s side, gazing at the clear night sky, pointing at stars and giggling, oh Nichkhun giggling was too funny to pass. But then Victoria would get violent, nudging his ribs as his hands were around her so ver tightly.

But even with this kind of entertainment, Kyuhyun sighed, it still felt lonesome.

“Hey.”

He turned at the soft voice, hoping that it was Seohyun. A little disappointed to see Yoona instead, he bowed his head at her and sat still very quietly, watching a romance play in front of him, Nichkhun and Victoria as main roles.

“Kibum said we’re arriving soon,” she informed him without really looking at the man and he nodded, eyes also on Victoria’s gleeful poking of his hyung’s face.

“So I heard,” Kyuhyun said, somewhat dismissing this. She was up to something, except he couldn’t be that sure, but really, weren’t all these royals that way? Kibum seemed to be hiding something from him as well, ever since the  _ring_  incident that happened the other time. And besides, why would the princess even talk to him, if it didn’t involve him getting used or life at risk or anything of exchange? They would need the pauper to do all the dirty work anyway, in return for something they would only be benefiting from.

But Seohyun was different, he then thought. She would always be different from the rest of them, that’s why he favored her more than anyone.

“I’ve never tried travelling during the night, though,” Yoona admitted.

Kyuhyun stared at his shoes, uninterested with this. “Me either.”

“And I didn’t know that that oppa liked your friend over there,” she started again, pointing at the couple star-gazing or probably looking at their reflections on the still water.

He chuckled lightly. “Yeah, my hyung’s shy to show his feelings.”

“But aren’t you different?”

He snapped back to reality, looking at the princess now and seeing the creases by her mouth as she spoke, and she seemed like Seohyun except so much for the eyes really. Yoona’s were much too somewhere, much to dreamy, far off somewhere worrying. And because of this Yoona’s smile also brought emphasis on her eyes, that they curved more when she grinned more.

“What makes you say that, your majesty?” he intentionally answered. “I believe this is the first time we actually have talked to each other.”

“Seohyun says you are,” she then ended up saying her name and Kyuhyun smiled along with it. “You’ve already told her how much she means to you. Do you know she’s just 16?”

“Going on 17 as I am already 18,” Kyuhyun muttered. “And what are you trying to tell me, your majesty?” The your-majesty sounded impatient, painted in complete disrespect, but Yoona remained calm.

“She’s leaving tomorrow,” Yoona stated and Kyuhyun had been trying all his luck to keep that off his mind.

“I know.”

Yoona sighed, turning away and standing up with a frown. “She’s young so don’t make her depend on love. She doesn’t know, and she may think she’s in love with you but soon enough she would forget this all and move on. She’s a princess after all, and even if it’s against our will, we still will be married to soemone from our class.”

Kyuhyun smirked. “Your majesty, if all you wanted to say was I should stay away and stop filling up her mind with my words, then I will.”

She gazed at him sternly, the smirk still so very present and knowing.

“But if ever she  _does_  come to me, without me doing anything to her, then you try telling her what love is,” Kyuhyun answered, getting up and leaving behind Yoona quite surprised more than she expected she would be. God, this man has been so blessed with a very glib mouth, sometimes much like her and with this she grinned. She and Kyuhyun had something in common after all.

“Hey! I wasn’t done talking to you yet,” Yoona called him again but he kept walking. All boys, except perhaps for Kibum, had liked doing this to her, especially Changmin, who did it the best and the most.

“I was,” Kyuhyun replied smugly and the princess felt insulted.

Yoona quickened her pace, catching up with Kyuhyun and looking at him straight in the eye so he stopped and crossed his arms.

“You need to show me some respect, young man!” Yoona spatted and Kyuhyun nearly choked on his laughter.

“Oh like using Ahjumma instead? Respect should be distributed equally with everyone from  _any_  class,” he said, Yoona falling quiet. “Don’t call me young man, I’m old enough.”

“Kyuhyun-sshi,” Yoona began again, the two of them almost appeared like racing towards the plank where the crew lowered for them. The waves softly crashed towards the shore, making the ship slightly tipsy with the ocean. “I’m sorry. It’s just that...I’m very worried for Seohyun-ah.”

“Since when were you not?” Kyuhyun asked smugly, the princess  flinching.

“I don’t want you to be the reason for Seohyun to being staying.”

Kyuhyun shrugged, unwavering. “It’s up to Seohyun, like I said. I will let her decide for herself, but if that is the case, then you explain to her.”

The princess finally stopped and turned, bumping into Seohyun who was smiling upon reaching her. “We were told to go down now. Prince Kibum is ahead with the rest of the crew.”

-o0o-

He had never felt so alone. He finally went outside after an hour or so, bored inside his room, hungered to an extent that his insticts begged him to browse through the kitchen himself. Changmin felt guilty though, and he had never felt this sort of remorse out of anything with any other girl, be it Krystal or Sooyoung. It could have been because he was far too sinful against Yoona, his wife. If it ever was the love potion’s side effects, then why did he long so much for her right now? He kept pushing her away, just like what happened to him when she was making love to him, pushing him literally off his bed, but now Changmin wanted her, wanted her so much, because he was sorry and because he needed her. Well, those explanations still seemed so vague, he mused.

He didn’t expect it, neither did he want something like this to happen. Maybe it was for the best, after all. Miracles were real then, and Yoona... oh but why did she cling to that Prince Kibum when Changmin knew so well that she had nothing left to do but accept it? She and Changmin were already married, and nothing could change that, except perhaps death. He didn’t want a divorce, he wanted a son too, if ever that was all right. He played with this wishes in his mind, seeing a young prince ask him questions, ride a horse with him, annoy his aunt Krystal endlessly. That would be nice.

“Excuse me,” he politely asked one of his helpers. “Can you call my sister down? I want to have dinner with her.”

The ahjumma bowed her head before him, hesitant he noticed. “She already ate, your majesty.”

Changmin stared at the small clock by the wall, noticing it was passed eight in the evening. “Well, wasn’t she early?”

“She said...she would be studying,” answered the lady, before going out and leaving the prince to dine with himself, eating as much as he could consume, because it had been so long since he had eaten.

He stopped chewing his food and swallowed it down with the water. After dinner he planned to wait for Yoona and the others, because oddly enough, he didn’t liked the idea of her going away without him. Well, it was his fault though, since he declined going, but for goodness sake, he was keeping his pride. Yoona would like to laugh at him maybe if she knew the turmoil of emotions inside of him, swirling like strong gusts of tornadoes even. Confused but still solid, Changmin knew finally what was wrong. It was because Yoona was different, new, and he must have felt threatened, to open up and accept the reality.

Maybe that was what she meant by loving her, that he had to choose to love her, or else nothing would come out of it.

“Oppa, oppa! Guess what I learned today?”

“Who the hell are you?” As he was up the stairs, this little monster bumped into him, her hair scrambled in a mess that it appeared like she had been inside her room as well, doing other mischievous things he had yet to uncover. Her eyes were twinkling despite the fact that she looked least like a princess. “What have you been doing? Krystal, you are hideous!”

A smear of pepper by her blue lacy dress, and coal maybe around her cheeks were present, and Changmin wasn’t anymore sure if she had realized this. Exasperated and a tone high, Changmin timidly dusted her hair, him realizing that she had cobwebs there too. “Krystal, you don’t know how uglier you are tonight.”

“But oppa, I was inside all day perfecting this potion!” She stated, showing off a small bottle. “I’ve put in every possible ingredient that can account to a wish. The person who drinks it gets to wish one thing, and it’ll be granted.”

“Aha! You are practicing witchcraft!” Changmin meddled, clicking his tongue in disappointed.

“Everybody does,” she rolled her eyes and shoved the potion to him. “Come on, you have to try it.”

Changmin declined at once, shaking his head and moving hurriedly now back to his own room. “Forget it, you still owe me with the love potion. It still doesn’t wear off, mind you.”

As though they were the magic words, Krystal’s smile faded and she halted, holding the potion in her hand and eyeing him curiously. “Omo, oppa! Does that mean---” before she could continue though, Changmin looked away, trying to cover his blush. She clapped her hands in joy. “Then goodness, I must be better than I thought!”

“It’s not just the potion, Krystal,” he admitted, tilting his head as the memories of the other night flashed before him. “It’s the fact that I was such a coward that I ran to my room. It’s the fact that I was such a coward to meet her, to face her, to accept her. It’s the fact that I was in love with Yoona, except I did not like that idea so I kept shutting it out of my system by treating her badly. And...this is funny, isn’t it?”

“No, just boring,” Krystal yawned. “Anyway, oppa. If you’re not going to help me with my potions, I might as well get to bed.”

She looked like a walking slug, but of course Changmin thought this was a too light insult. “My god, you dirty creature, please take a bath first.”

Krystal chuckled heartily, looking back at the prince as they parted now to their respective lairs. “You should be a better man to Yoona-unnie now that you love her.”

“You seem to like her now, little sheep,” he mumbled, but of course Krystal disappeared inside her room. On his way, because it was so inviting, Changmin stared at the wide open chamber of their resident prince Kibum.  His bedroom door was open, how had Changmin overlooked this earlier or how Kibum could forget to keep it lock. Now that he reflected on it, Changmin noticed that he  _usually_  would have it locked but now it was open, pretty much bare for anyone to enter. And to enter was Changmin’s way to satisfy his curiosity.

His room was just like Changmin’s, though smaller and had less mess than his. The curtains were down, and the table by the window had scarmbled pieces of paper on it, pressed and folded alike. Changmin thought that it was a little wrong, but considering that he was living in the palace for free, he might as well have this as a right. Besides, Kibum was in Changmin’s territory, therefore he had access to these things, even without the permission of the other prince.

Venturing randomly, his fingers picked up whatever letter was present, above and under, he tried reading one that had an address coming from Dongsook. Hmm, must be his father, Changmin sadly thought, but later realizing he was dead wrong.

Lieutenant Kibum

What is hindering you in completing the mission? Any longer and your father will face the consequence. He will be killed I tell you, if you do not fulfill our wishes. Have the Byungmi rings together, collect them if you must, and then kill all the heirs possible. We do not want your dear father to suffer now, do we? As soon as you receive this, we are rushing you to complete the mission. Flawless as possible.

Flawless as possible? Had Kibum been trying to cover up this mission in order to get close to the princesses? Was that the reason why he wanted oh so much to get back Seohyun’s eyes? Was he pretending to be so attached to Yoona, just to get the rings? Then...since they were away, could Kibum carry out the plan while in Yesseu?

-o0o-

“We’ve got an hour to go before midnight. It’ll be over when midnight comes.”

Too bad they were separated. What the fuck was that big tree doing in the middle of the track? Now Seohyun, Kyuhyun and Nichkhun to her side, were trying to locate the witch and Yoona and company as well, totally divided they were.

He slipped his hand into Yoona’s, and she looked up, rather surprised that Kibum had done this while they were rummaging through the deathly forest. She wondered now why he had done that, because as of now, trouble was in the air. Since it was nighttime, it was harder to see, with only the moon and the stars to light up the world of Yesseu. Of course, there were lamps the other crew carried but sometimes they weren’t that trustworthy even.

It was Kibum, Victoria and Yoona in one side of the island, scouring the woods silently and slowly for the other princess, while Seohyun, Kyuhyun and Nichkhun were hastily remembering which way to go, the last time they were here in Yesseu to find that witch.

“You’re shaky,” he said to her and Yoona pulled away, shrugging and smiling.

“It’s cold,” Yoona answered, panicking. “And Seohyun’s with that Kyuhyun and his cousin.”

“Trust me, they’re great in combat,” Victoria chimed in, walking in between the two royals. “There was one time when we were kids---”

Victoria continued chattering, which was what made the forest less scary, Yoona thought so she was thankful to the girl and her mouth. Kibum smiled awkwardly, turning his head to the side, eyes still very vigilant for anything. When would the night end, and just let the miracles happen? When could he just drive himself to tell Yoona how much he was keeping inside, even if she did reject him, which was so very likely that Yoona would, he still would feel so warm about it. Was this love? He had been very distracted from his initial plans, but who cares. What mattered now perhaps was that Yoona could be beside him, even if no words were exchanged, as long as they were together, that would be okay.

And then he remembered. He remembered so well the whole purpose of his coming, of why he was here now. Even if he did love Yoona, all of it must disappear.

He took her hand again, both of them behind Victoria as the other woman continued talking. Blushing, the princess turned to him and her eyes begged what her mouth could not utter.

“Yoona, you have to promise me something,” he then said, unable to have eye contact.

She nodded, still unsure and hesitant. “What is it?”

“You have to promise me that...” he sighed, falling short for words, his heart pounding strong. “Whatever happens, you have to trust me. On everything, on  _anything._ ”

“I’ve always trusted you, Kibum,” Yoona grinned in response, tapping his shoulder. “That trust will never waver. Never ever.”

 _Never waver,_ those were the words that struck him most the moment Yoona let go and moved forward, talking to Victoria like they were good friends before, holding her tongue at times like the other girl had too, politely as possible making time fly as they searched for the witch, and for the other three. The night matured deeper now.

And they were still lost, wandering and wandering.

“Are you sure this is the way, hyung?” Kyuhyun asked and Nichkhun nodded, feeling more sure now that he could hear the river. It was in a close distance, surely that witch’s hut was found somewhere.

“We’re closer,” Nichkhun said, and Seohyun’s grip on Kyuhyun’s arm was braver than earlier. She was ready for this, very ready.  “Your majesty, do you remember the lock to the witch’s powers?”

“Hansook Shibsan Eultaeng,” Seohyun murmured quietly. “But I do not have the elixir of youth with me. I mean---”

A sudden gust of wind overthrew them, stopped Seohyun from her statement,and their hearts, including Nichkhun’s started beating faster than anything, and it scared them all, Kyuhyun’s instincts forcing him to get the hell out of here immediately. The lamp that had lit their area was blown away, and they could barely see each other now.

Protecting Seohyun with his embrace, he looked at Nichkhun, hoping he knew what that anxious look meant. “Hyung, we have to get out of here.”

“I know what you mean,” Nichkhun said, afraid.

Before they knew it, as they were about to turn back, this witch appeared, Kyuhyun petrified that he stumbled back, Seohyun shivered in the presence, and Nichkhun’s eyes widened in shock. It was the same witch, now smiling to them with her gray streaks for a hair glistening as she lifted the lamp up.

She bowed at the princess. “Thank you for saying the magic words, princess. I believe I owe you something, do I not?”

Nichkhun immediately picked his cousin up. “Kyuhyun,” he said in a low voice, waiting for the witch to be entertained patiently by the princess, questioning her still. “Kyuhyun, listen to me. Do you know that Seohyun is wearing a ring exactly like yours, don’t you?”

Kyuhyun was startled. He gave his hyung a disgruntled face. “What do you mean by that?”

“You are the lost prince,” he revealed, though Kyuhyun smirked and could not believe this at all. And his eyes seemed to be resistant to the idea as well. “And Kibum had told me, they’re going to trick Seohyun that they gave the witch a fake elixir of youth, but in fact, Princess Yoona would sacrifice her own ring, which contains the elixir of youth, for the sake of Seohyun’s eyes. Princess Yoona’s not here right now, and we have to get back to Sangdokchi. You know how dangerous Yesseu is during the night! We have to get out of here before midnight, Kyuhyun-sshi. The dead, who guard this place, will come to life again. We might not be able to get out alive, if I’m not mistaken.”

“I am not the lost prince, Nichkhun!” he roared and Seohyun turned to him,  overhearing them.

“Yes you are. Yes you are,” Nichkhun mouthed and pressed on, pointing at Seohyun. “For Seohyun, you said you’d do anything.”

“I...I...I would,” Kyuhyun replied. “But I’m not the lost prince. This is not the ring they’re all talking about. I am not...I can’t be her brother. And...and I’ll prove it to you!”

“We shall wait for Yoona-unnie to bring the elixir of youth,” Seohyun courteously added, her heart racing in excitement. The witch just shrugged, although her glares at Kyuhyun were more than frightening. He approached them, still not believing his hyung that he was the lost prince. He held Seohyun’s hand tightly, gripping it strongly as a signal that he was here. He stared at the ring around her neck, the way the lettering seemed so familiar, like the one he usually would see from his own.

Feeling sick, he caressed the side of her cheeck. “Seohyun-ah, Nichkhun-hyung told me the rings contain some parts of the elixir of youth.” He gulped. “Is it true?”

Seohyun took hold of her ring. “Yes, it does. Why do you ask?”

Kyuhyun sighed. “Then we should not wait anymore wait for Princess Yoona.”

“I would not give up my ring! This is my life,” Seohyun then urged, Kyuhyun nearly shaking his head. He looked at the witch, who was observing their conversation in wait. And it wasn’t just her who had been observing this situation. But four other mortals, three in hiding, one just before them.

“I want to prove to Nichkhun that I am not the lost prince,” Kyuhyun said out loud, Seohyun gasping.

Yoona, hiding behind the bushes, could not believe what she was hearing. The boy, the man all this time, that prince who was taken before Seohyun was even before... no it could not be Kyuhyun. Why was she rejecting this possibility though? Didn’t she say that she would do whatever it takes to locate her lost brother. No, but if that was the case...didn’t he fall in love with her sister? His sister?

She was about to stand up, but Kibum pulled her down, keeping her mouth shut. “No, wait. Let’s see what happens.”

“No, no...” she kept muttering under her breathe, the same as Seohyun.

Kyuhyun broke his necklace, the ring in his palms and passing it to the witch without regret. “Please take this ring instead, if ever this is the ring which contains the elixir of youth, then please do make use of it. So that Princess Seohyun may have her eyes back.”

“You...you...have the ring, too?” Seohyun stammered, tears in her eyes. “But...but that makes you... no. You can’t be! You never told me!”

She struggled as he tried to make her calm.

Yoona also felt like crying, standing up but Kibum restrained her from it every time. Victoria checked her clock, found out that the long hand was already ten minutes left before twelve. “Your majesties, it’s almost....time. The dead...those stories about the dead coming to life here in Yesseu...”

Yoona shook her head, crying. “No. No, not my sister. Kyuhyun...”

Seohyun took his hands as he let go of the ring, the witch just smiling at it evilly, feeling so much power from the ring that the moment a glowing light surrounded and blurred the rest of the viewer’s eyes, Kyuhyun knew. Kyuhyun knew now that his Nichkhun-hyung was right, that Seohyun’s sight returned instantly. The cackle of the witch echoed, right after she had disappeared along with the ring. Yoona ran towards them as Kyuhyun fell to his knees, eyes overflowing with tears that he hadn’t realize were there.

Seohyun saw him for the first time, the handsome image of a young man on kneeling before her, saddened, almost looking like he was stabbed and murdered. His face grew pale while Seohyun could no longer do anything, except weep along as Yoona wrapped her arms around her sister.

“Seohyun...Seohyun-ah,” she quickly said, trying to calm her down up. She looked at her unnie, both of them tear stained. She kept shaking her head, as though this was the only available motion for her.

“Kyuhyun...” Kibum muttered, taking his sword out. “Is the lost prince.”

And the wolves in the forest began howling. It was exactly midnight.


	18. Holding Back

Yesseu, in legends and folklore, was known to be an island graveyard long before it became the asylum for witches and other sorcerers; the very reason why the shore were gray and the trees, though alive and sucking water, were bald. A graveyard of what you may ask? Well, some say it was where the feudal llords fought the conflicting battles between the ones who wanted to conquer Korea. Notice now that it is the border end of the nation? A century ago, lords who risked their lives were buried in Yesseu, the British taking over finally and colonizing Korea and molding it into their own little nation.

But alas, as the consistent starring of wizardry in what is known to be the land of Sangdokchi and Byungmi, Yesseu became the prison of these malicious miracle-workers, locking them up in cells that degenerate magical ability. This restriction is only enabled with a code spoken by the warden or someone of royal blood. Once sentence has been lifted thereof, the witch is still condemned within the island and is still restrictted to use magic upon the decree of the current monarchy. This is why most witches, after their release from the asylum, choose to be burned to death, instead of living without magic.

This in mind, Victoria thought how very strange it was for that witch to stick around, existent, breathing and aging  _ordinarily_. Why though, Victoria pondered in the middle of their bleak scenario. Would she be wishing to live a normal mortal life? Or could she be waiting to fool a drunk prince, dragged by the waves after his ship wrecked, to say her magical words? Before another conclusion popped out of Victoria’s head, Nichkhun’s sword was by her ear side; a shrieking voice from behind made her more vigilant of the current situation as the smell of blood rose up into the moist dusk atmosphere.

“Now’s not that time to have those ‘moments’ Qian,” stated Nichkhun, calmly she noticed, pulling the girl’s hands as she remained idle pensively.

The dead, the soldiers of the past, they were finally walking on earth again. Although without much strength, Seohyun and Kyuhyun, still side by side but awfully quiet, fought back the tears, both holding their swords at their sides as they ran ahead of the crew, Yoona just behind them clashing her sword at an occasional undead approaching. It wasn’t that difficult, this princess even decided but then certainly frigtening, as she slayed two bodies and counting, eyes closed oftentimes, and leaving Kibum the honors of finishing off with a head slice.

Even panic-driven all were, and tired from running, nobody stopped squirming through the thick woods. Seohyun, from Yoona’s perspective since she was behind her all this time, was stiff, though very brave to be venturing head on out. This time she was the leader. This time she was the one making rules. And Seohyun’s keen sense of hearing and smell made her very sharp especially when she would sense some of the zombies coming right after them. She used not her sight this time, but the ones she had harnessed to an extent it became sort of like a superpower, Yoona then concluded. She was proud of her sister.

“Almost there,” Seohyun said to them, her ears hearing already the ocean.

They followed at once, lucky, oh so lucky enough not to be stopped by a horde of these undead. From behind Victoria struggled as one tried biting her leg off, Nichkhun kicking back with much force. Because of their distinct smell of being mortals, the more that they attracted the darkness.

“Off with their heads!” Seohyun simply suggested, as they seemed to have been cornered by these horrid mindless things. Kyuhyun had never seen her so...different, seemingly possessed by someone not herself, then again, was it now because he was looking at his sister? He shook his head and followed orders to kill, and he didn’t even think the princess could somehow be like  _one of them_ , one who had grown up with the rough and rowdy, one who actually lived a normal life.

“Ugh, a little help over here, anyone?” Yoona, apart from the fact that she was surrounded around two to three of the ghouls, accidentally dropped her weapon, in which Kibum and Nichkhun dashed to her side and cut off the heads of those.

Yoona picked her sword after that, her knuckles actually murkily painted in brownish blood. He observed, nearly in both pity, love and admiration. Yoona, his heart even yelled so loudly, the thumping...Kibum,  _you shouldn’t._  Distracted as Yoona stood up highly, brushing the small parts of her brunnette fringes away from her eyes. And then she smiled at him, biting her lips before her eyes widened in total shock.

“Oh Shit!” Muttering, Kibum was girded down by a rabid one, Victoria coming to his side with a high kick and chopping off the zombie’s arms and leg.

“Atta girl, Qian!” cheered Kyuhyun, as the rest of them followed the younger princess towards the open.

The younger ones were on the lead, Kyuhyun and Seohyun, as Nichkhun followed, hearing the sound of the waves crashing.  These and a whole lot more situations delayed the chase back to the ship in which when they did finally, despite that they were followed constantly by the enraged undead, the crew was taking out the anchor and setting sail, moving farther and farther away from the shore.

“Wait for us, goddammit!” shouted a frustrated Yoona, seeing as though they were already leaving without them, Kibum, since he was the last, troubling about the ones that trailed them until this part of the island.

Kyuhyun was first to reach the waters, climbing up on the anchor. Seohyun immediately jumped into the water, following him, her eyes stuck on him as he held out his hand for her to reach.

“Grab on and climb up,” Kyuhyun hastily told her, and she followed diligently, getting on the anchor. Before he knew it, she was already doing her best to hold herself up, feet at the side of the ship to keep balance as she trailed upward.

She was glaring at the crew now coming to help her, and in her anger she could have shoved her sword into each one’s pants, but what the hell, at least they had not really left them as they seemed to have planned in the first place. Grunting and panting behind her was her literally new found bother, Kyuhyun, exhausted and tired, stayed on the floor, seated to rest.

Seohyun had no intention to approach him, her whole heart and soul angered at the idea that Kyuhyun had not told her about his ring and that he was the lost prince of Byungmi. These emotions woke her to the reality at hand and to face it, she had no idea how. Kyuhyun, her brother, was in love with her, as if the situation at hand was not pressure enough. Putting this at heart, her tears came rolling down again and she disappeared now to her chamber in the ship.

She was never in love with Kyuhyun. Of course, she wasn’t, again and again she reminded herself this as the pillow got wet now.

But why did it hurt so much, so fucking much that she wanted to be killed in that island instead than live upon the truth, live as someone who would have Kyuhyun as her brother?

The anchor was pulled up now, with everyone else safely aboard, and with Yoona using every amount of energy to scold the captain for just leaving without notice, Kibum finally came up with the anchor, his eyes still stuck on that island of doom and death. The witch disappeared with the ring, that in mind, Kibum still wondered what else could she have done with it now? Would it be all right from here on?

“You okay?” Throwing his sword away, Nichkhun kneeled beside Kyuhyun, Victoria also falling to his other side.

He had his hand over his eyes, propped up by his right knee. “I don’t...know. I...just don’t know anymore.”

Victoria held his shoulder, and he turned her, smiling at him like she had just given him the best gift in the world. “Hey...it’s going to be okay, okay?”

Teary, Kyuhyun gritted his teeth in furious. “You know it won’t be! It never will be,” he weeped sadly onto his crossed arms that bridged both of his knees together.

Nichkhun glared at Victoria for making it worse and she did the same. “It’s your fault, you know!”

“What did I do this time?”

“You told him he was the prince and now---”

“But is he not? The truth has to come out someday, Qian!”

Kyuhyun remained quiet, unlike the usual times when the two argued, he would be the one in the middle to stop and pull on whatever joke and prank over any of them to lighten the mood. Now there was no mood to be lightened up, because as Kyuhyun all knows, the future would be as dark as the gloomy sky and he would have rather died long ago  if he was fated to meet his own sister and fall in love. How cruel, how stupid. Since when did he not actually accepted the fact that true enough, just like the witch’s observation, they could never become what he had hoped for in the first place.

It actually burned his heart, that right now, all he wanted was to wish time back where he couldn’t have just went to that party and met her. What was destiny after, he really had no idea how life was so playful, so assuring, and then let you down in the end.

Quietly the two finally left him alone on the deck, the other crew members going to their cabins to take some good night rest and for a moment, the waves were the only thing he could hear as it splashed against the wooden bottom.

Footsteps were to his side, just slowly, and before he knew it, he groped for his sword while still not looking up, quietly and so swiftly when finally the tapping stopped, and Kyuhyun let go to see her boots, to see the pants torn and slightly smelling of blood, to see her tired yet happy. Guess it wasn’t the girl he was expecting.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she told him.

Kyuhyun smirked. “I bet she can’t either. We are after all, connected if you must say it, your majesty.”

Yoona finally sat down next to him, sighing as the silence engulfed them into looking at the stars. “I’m sorry...of what I said earlier this evening.”

“Showing respect I see,” He scoffed.

“That explains the temper, though. And that courage,” Yoona smiled.

Kyuhyun turned away. “Just because I’m royal now, you could do all you want.”

“Of course not,” Yoona shook her head, patting his shoulder. “I really am...sorry.”

“Sorry for me being the lost prince?” Kyuhyun said after her, making the girl blanch. “I know. I’m sorry for being your brother too. I’m sorry for Seohyun. I’m sorry to you for letting you two down. For letting Seohyun down. You were right. You were right, I shouldn’t have let her believe in love. I knew it was trouble anyway.”

“How ironic,” Yoona decided, pouting at this as the stars above shone brighter every second. “Do you know how often people associate love as blind? It seemed a bit insulting now doesn’t it on Seohyun’s part?”

He laughed timidly. “Right you are... noona.”

“Noona...” she said after him, before a very bright smile came to her lips. “Yoona-noona.”

“But even if it is blind, we mortals fall for the trap until our heart admits it too that we are in fact in love,” Kyuhyun answered before her, tilting his head. “Stupid innocent children, listening to their hearts like that.”

“But that doesn’t mean it’s our fault,” Yoona mused pensively, thinking of a man way back safe in his own bedroom, sleeping or reading or eating whichever. “Maybe we can’t see it now, but it’ll be some sort of puzzle, a piece corresponds to another. But that doesn’t mean we should give it all up. If there’s anything that being in Sangdokchi has thought me, it’s not giving up, especially on love. People change.”

“Yes, Seohyun became my sister,” Kyuhyun said, ticked off.

“And mine also,” Yoona answered straightforwardly. “But dear brother, that doesn’t mean you should give up on love entirely. You have nothing to worry about! Father would be so glad to see you tomorrow.”

Standing up, he smiled genuinely for the first time that night and Yoona felt more than ecstatic that finally, she found him, after years of searching. She successfully retrieved back her sister’s eyes, and also the identity of her brother--- it wasn’t all bad perhaps, except that the idea that her dongsaeng’s could have turned into lovers which would have been incest and dirty blood in the royal line.

He gave out his hand and Yoona grabbed on immediately, embracing him so tightly that she was starting to have tears in her eyes.

“I miss you, brother.”

Awkward, he looked down at his hand, wondering if he should return back the hug or just stay still, and the latter felt awfully simple and more appropriate. Really, he didn’t know how to reply. He didn’t actually miss Yoona in the case, nor would he think it was even more rightful for him to hug her back.

“I’m sorry,” he said, closing his eyes in drowse. “I shouldn’t have never dreamed so big for Seohyun, done so much for her and then let her down.”

Yoona patted his back encouragingly. “That’s all right. It’ll all be better. I promise.”

“How can it be?” Kyuhyun pulled away first, hurt showing through those eyes. “I return to a nation I had never been to before, at least aware, along with Seohyun who is my sister and who I am still so in love with. Do you understand that it is impossible to get through all of this? Do you understand how... frustrating this is for me? It’s... too painful now to even think of a promise. There is no tomorrow. I just...I want to kill myself, do you know?”

“Hey! Take it easy, come on...” Yoona said, holding his shoulders in comfort. “It’ll be fine.”

“Easy for you to say, princess,” Kyuhyun retorted, folding his arms and taking steps back. “You’ve lived through the luxury and fun and...practically everything is done for you. Everything is easy for you. How is the lost prince if anyone ever gave wonder? I worked shit day and night, carry loads of carts that carry fish and vegetables until the sunset and I sell them with my best friend Qian. Sometimes the money we earn is used for my uncle’s medication and also for the machines used in making the swords. I am after all the nephew of the greatest blacksmith in Sangdokchi. That life has been difficult but there are some things I learned from it, and some things that you my dearest sister can never experience. It’s the value of true friendship, hardwork and the ability to endure all pain because you don’t have much of a choice for survival. Don’t tell me not to give up right now. I’m tired, really I am. I’m tired of chasing things that I can’t have. And now you guys try to hold against me the idea of being the next heir to Byungmi. Nothing is more painful seeing me and Seohyun, impossible and forbidden to love each other. So please...”

Holding her tears back, Yoona lowered her head. “I’ll make it okay for you again, dear brother. I’ll do my best to restore your soul into a good one again.”

“There is no way but death,” Kyuhyun mumbled. “I can’t accept that fact that I am the lost prince.”

“But isn’t the ring yours? Doesn’t it belong to you? And if the witch had used it  for my sister’s eyes, then all the same, you are my brother,” Yoona explained, a little scared of tha fate up ahead. “And that makes Seohyun your sister. Which is why you will have to accept that fact that you are the prince and...and...” Yoona trailed off, eyes widening. “You will be the next king of...Byungmi.”

Kyuhyun nodded knowingly, as though expecting this already. “It’s all a mess. I’m going to go have some rest now.”

As he was leaving Yoona to think to herself and digest the bigger problem in view, Kibum bumped into him, apparently that man seemed even more nocturnal than anybody he knew. He bowed at Kyuhyun for a moment, smirking and eyes glistening in the dark.

“Prince...Kyuhyun, is it?” teased Kibum.

He punched the other man’s shoulder. “If I weren’t tired, I’d throw you off this ship.”

Kibum chuckled. “Then it must be a good thing that you are. Get some rest,  _your majesty_. Tomorrow’s quite a day.” His emphasis on the majesty made Kyuhyun cringe, rolling his eyes and turning left to where his cabin is.

The other one, though getting about an hour or two of rest, approached the princess with a grin on his face.

“Is Kyuhyun in anyway prince-material yet?”

Yoona stared at him, sighing worriedly. “Goodness, Kyuhyun needs to learn a billion things about being a prince.”

Kibum shrugged. They walked together towards the edge of the ship, the night wind blowing lightly on their faces. She was a lot cleaner now, Kibum observed but she still hadn’t change clothes. Yoona was prettier in the morning, but no doubt, her brave character tonight was much more attractive.

“You haven’t cleaned yourself yet,” Kibum said and she burst in snickers. They both are staring at the invisible horizon, deep black enveloping the surroundings. “Look at you, Changmin will freak out.”

She stopped, staring at Kibum. “Changmin isn’t here, though, so I don’t think there’s a reason for him to freak out. I’ll get cleaned before we get back to the palace. And I think he’d still be snoring by that time, that man.”

“Aren’t you going to change into better clothes? I mean...it’s cold out here and...”

Yoona gave off this gaze, at wonder what was wrong with him all of a sudden, this kind of concern. She knew that Kibum never looked down on her, watched over her like he was responsible for her. Because Kibum always had that sense of high respect for her, always thought she was brave, a lover of all things dangerous and forbidden.

Under the moonlight without anyone anymore awake, Kibum gulped. “I need to tell you something.”

The princess felt her tummy do sommersaults. Kibum had been acting all strange since the other morning, as though he had eaten something alien, and that made Yoona gaze at him with those twinkling eyes, still at question. Everything about Kibum was a mystery: his life story seemed rushed, his action always enigmatic, which also remined him to that smile of his.

“What is it?”

Kibum reached for her right hand slowly, very slowly, and Yoona noticed this movement, letting his hand linger over hers for a minute or two before undeniably she pulled back, already frowning, already scared, already aware. She was about to walk out before Kibum pulled her arm back, his heart throbbing in both anguish and excitement. His heart was as delusional as the witch back in the island--- it didn’t know what it want.

“Yoona, let me explain first.”

With her head down, she turned to him. “You know...you know that... I’m... married and...”

“But it doesn’t mean I can’t tell you so just listen,” Kibum (almost) pleaded.

Yoona’s eyes were tired, glistening in the dark, but so very tired, from all the tears she shed this night, she did not want anymore burden put upon her shoulders. They were so strong, her eyes, so very still yet filled with hope and it made Kibum feel warm, home and just accepted.

“Yoona, I do love you,” he sighed before continuing. He took her both of her hands, and she remained quiet like a mannequin, just watching him fall apart. “Yoona, I do. I’ve... never felt this sort of... feeling in the chest. I know it’s stupid and hilarious maybe, but I am in love with you. And I think it’s---”

“You’re not,” smiled Yoona in mockery, as though this was brining her some kind of ecstacy inside. “You’re not, and because you know where you belong. We are friends, Kibum. And I will always respect that bond so you too must also. Do not confuse your feelings of now for something that is cynically and ironically meant for forever, and only for those whose hearts... are not taken.”

And for the first time, Kibum heard his heart crack so very clearly, maybe because it was quiet out here, maybe because it was too large of rupture that he heard it. “Then... you do love Changmin? Just because you’ve...made love with him? Is that the reason why---” His temper was going out of hand.

“I’ve always loved him,” Yoona responded sharply, their hands still interlinked together. “I always have Kibum. Of all the people I know you would notice it at once. I try to hide, I always have and the little things I do, acting pretending... I always mean it when I tell him I love him in front of the crowd. I always mean it when I say I get jealous of him and Sooyoung. Because he is mine and I am his. It has nothing to do with what we did the other night. I loved him even before that. I have...have loved him since the first time he came to Byungmi and announced that we were to be wed. I love that he is not backing out on this deal as I was also afraid to do. Maybe my actions and thoughts could have reflected the lie of not falling in love, of actually acting like I was very much against this marriage and I wanted a divorce. I love him for taking care of me. I would like to have a child with him.” She inhaled deep.

Kibum’s eyes were starting to leak out the tears. “You wouldn’t. I know... you wouldn’t.” He kept shaking his head at the idea.

She held on her tummy. “I’m hoping, actually after what happened to us the other night. It was the most... magical thing in the world. Although I was struggling of keeping my emotions, he made me confess. And I’m not yet that sure if he also feels that same way---“

“He does,” Kibum assured, swallowing the last moist of his saliva before looking straight at her.

Yoona felt the hurt, his face so stony and angered but he kept it all in so very calmly. “How can you be so sure?”

“Did he not leave his room and locked himself up before we left? That is because he was out of pride embarrassed that he was falling in love with you. And it’s a pride thing men have, especially princes,” Kibum cleared his throat, looking down and letting go of her hands.

“I’m sorry, Kibum,” she said after the silence. “I...I really am.”

“Nah, I’m sorry,” he responded, shaking his head in denial at the truth in front of them both. “I guess, I just got carried away. You’re right. I’m just tired.”

Yoona nodded, moving away now. “I really...want to love you back, but someone else has...”

“I know,” he pinched her cheeks with his pointer and middle finger, touching once more the porcelain face that caused him so much failures.

He got the picture, beaming at her lowly and moving passed her to his room without anymore saying a single word. When we he woke up again, he’d find himself back in Sangdokchi, following a princess he could never have and deciding when and how to make the move. This little distraction actually went according to his syllabus, and by the moment he reached Sangdokchi, he realized how much the siblings were in for more trouble. This ship was in dire need of steering right back to its proper course.

From his pocket he pulled out the letter that was hand written perfectly by his father, in the last days of seeing him before he was thrown out in the dungeon.

Kibum, the prince of Dongsook, was going to get married once the war was over, to a fair fine lady across the land, the daughter of his good friend, the King of Byungmi. That was deal or so he thought. With thel little delay of the war and all, he couldn’t marry Yoona. No.

He now pondered secretly at what could have been the fairytale story he could have had with her. She would be the queen of his kingdom, the mother of his children, the princess in his heart. It was meant to happen.

Yet now times had changed. And he must take convicted action to setting things the way they should be, by going through the problem himself. He would have to make do with the reality now, and what would be left of his pride, without ever hurting Yoona or Seohyun.

-o0o-

The night passed by easily, so hastily that when morning came, Kyuhyun decided he wanted to tell his aunt and uncle about the truth before going to the palace with them. They could go ahead and leave him behind to Nichkhun and Victoria. Seohyun, Yoona, and of course Kibum went back to the palace, Seohyun despite the fact that she was seeing the nation for the first time, was horridly quiet and unamazed. She still hadn’t talked to Kyuhyun after last night, and nor would she ever, she then decided. The heartache was too great, and Yoona knew of this too.

“You could wait here while I tell Changmin the news,” Yoona said excitedly over the palace’s courtyard, holding her sister’s chin up. “The carriage back to Byungmi would come around any time by now.”

Seohyun nodded, almost mute. “Yes, unnie.”

“Smile for me, okay?” Yoona said, kissing the side of her sister’s head. “It’ll be okay from now on.”

The moment they enter the gates of the palace, guards immediately gathered before them, and the time they reached the throne room, Changmin was sitting on one of the seats, still in his pajamas, while glaring at the two of them entering.

Kibum was pushed to the ground, his shouts echoing in the palace as he struggled efficiently from the clutches of these men. As if he wasn’t tired enough.

“Are there any bolts not screwed in properly in your head right now, Changmin? Why are you doing that to him?” Yoona yelled at her husband and he stooped down.

“Kibum is a traitor!” Changmin shouted and Yoona helplessly ran towards him, nervous that Changmin might have found out that he was in love with his wife. Could that be possible though? “Throw him to the dungeon!”

“Wait, hold on!” The princess argued, standing up. “Wait, wait! Kibum’s injured! Wait, his back is hurt.” She ran to her husband, begging him to give a proper explanation of the story he was now involved in.

Changmin frowned, holding his finger out. “Do you have any idea Kibm has been in cahoots with Dongsook?”

Yoona bit her lip. “Isn’t he suppose to be since he is from there?”

“Not in that manner,” Changmin hoarsely retorted. To get things clarified, he took hold of the letters, held it up high for Kibum to peek at, and before Yoona knew it, Kibum was yelling, “No! Wait! I can explain those!”

“He has been keeping contact with the current king of Dongsook and that king ordered him to collect the rings and combine them so that they can be used for power. Ultimately, he has been planning this ever since he got here. He has to eliminate all of you Byungmi heirs before the mission can be pushed through,” Changmin delibrately exposed. “I believe the king of Byungmi has this say, important thing that could change the whole country that the King of Dongsook want so badly. That is Kibum’s purpose.”

She read, with a face so very unreadable, every piece of the letter showcased the schemes and the stories Kibum was ought to do, the mission of collecting the Byungmi rings and all that for a greater power. Puzzled, Yoona observed Kibum with the same look she had like last night: confued and bewildered. She got to his side at once, kneeling to his level and eyeing him in grief.

“Yoona, I can explain. I really can.”

“What part of it was real? The falling in love part or the I need to help you get your sister’s eyes back?”

“I love you,” he whispered so that Changmin would no longer overhear them both. “I really do with all my heart and you know that so please give me the chance to explain those letters. It’s not what you think---”

A sharp blow on his right side and a red mark left Kibum gaping, startled in the least that she could do this to him.

“Were we even friends to you? Or was I your toy?”

A slap was given to show how much you had dishonored a promise or cruelly given injustice. Seeing her hurt brought his own eyes to cry, as he was dragged away to the darkest area in the palace.

"Yoona, I'm sorry. I have to do this. It's my destiny."


	19. Living a Lie for the Truth

She sat there in the courtyard already in her traveling clothes, waiting in wonder. Father was coming in a few minutes, and she waited here, along with two nurses to her side, and she didn’t like to think. When Seohyun was young, she enjoyed thinking, and it earned her respect even from the old and wise, so she pleased them with her intellect as much as she could. She liked to read books, so people would praise her being smarter than her Yoona unnie, but she knew so well that that could never be the case. In between these comparisons, she refused to think that growing up with a sister would be like a competition. So she stopped thinking and let everything else fall into place.

Right now, she liked that to happen but her mind ran amok involuntarily, working and fixing, laying out every possible door. Kibum the traitor and Kyuhyun her brother--- what else was supposed to happen. She wanted to stop thinking, and just let everything else go so that it would be better now, it would be okay just like how her father praised her for her archery. It would be better now, he would say, and Seohyun always had done better, like the good daughter she was.

Kibum was in the dungeon and Kyuhyun was back in his foster home getting the just reality slap on his face. All seemed to fall apart, not in place, Seohyun thought clearly.  _Fall apart_ , why was it falling apart? Was she the selfish one for having her eyes back? She never chose this path in the first place! She could have almost yelled at her unnie for always choosing the dumb way out, the easy way out--- why the hell did Yoona insist so much in giving back her sight? Before  all of that, everything was going smoothly; Kyuhyun could have stayed as the blacksmith’s son and not... not her brother. In any case sometime in the future, Seohyun would have still been hurt after knowing that he was indeed, now and forever, the long lost prince, her loving (oh _loving_ ) brother.

If she could have one wish, just one perhaps... she could have asked never to have met Kyuhyun. Even if this was too sad, even if her eyes started to water now, Seohyun still begged for the impossible.

“Excuse me, are you the princess from Byungmi?” approached a man wearing a cloak over his head.

She looked up and nodded, smiling in greeting. “Did my father send for you to pick me up?”

-o0o-

“She’s crying again, you dumb man,” the shorter one (though her shoes increased her height a little) fussed as she approached him, punching the side of her brother’s arm before he rolled her eyes in pride, unsure anymore if what he did was right. Or if it was the biggest and most selfish mistake he made.

“The man deserved to be in the dungeon forever,” Changmin said, crossing his arms as he leaned against the stairwell grills, Krystal giving him those glares of a dagger.

She shrugged afterwards, changing the subject. “I’ll be going out with Sulli and Taemin for awhile, though.”

“You guys have been best friends as far as I can I remember. How did you meet that sewer rat of a boy anyway? Princess like you shouldn’t be haning out with him,” he said before the princess slipped and ran down the staircase. “When are you coming back?” the oppa asked almost in a shout and with mischievous smirk and a wave, he expected not another word for a response.

Changmin, interchanging his other leg to prop, sighed, clicking his tongue when he thought deeper about his actions. Yoona looked like she was the one hurt, as though she was the one who would get dumped in a stinky old cell, with little food until the her last breath of existence. The way her eyes just cried and passed Changmin when Kibum was taken away, was she keeping emotions from him? Was she really for some reason in love with Kibum too?

Changmin didn’t like the thought of losing, he knew that much to feel inferior and less. Being a prince, or perhaps because he was older than Krystal, he always liked to win in games, and practically just about anything (then again the younger princess always won in seeking attention). He was slowly losing all of it, a nonexistent game played between him and Yoona, only Kibum the outside force seemed to be taking all of the prizes with him.

And he didn’t understand why all of a sudden his feet were taking him to her door, and the sobbing inside still scared him in some sort of defective way, so he slowly knocked and it stopped, and Changmin felt the need to kill himself for this kind of rush, this kind of shift of emotions that he slouched back when Yoona opened the door, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

“What do you want?”

“Are you in love with Kibum?”

“What?” she retorted in disbelief, and in turn he gazed at back in the same manner.

“Are you... in love with Prince Kibum?” he asked softly, in defeat he realized but Changmin never cared, he was already a loser in the first place when he entered this stupid marraige thing. He didn’t care about pride right now; he wanted to lose so what--- but he just couldn’t lose Yoona to _anyone_.

Sh scoffed. “I lost a friend, not a lover.”

“Then why was he saying that he loved you and all? Did something happened in that island?” his voice climbed a higher octave, she noticed and Yoona shook her head indignantly, then closing the door before Changmin shoved his foot by the jamb.

“I won’t regret squashing your feet,” Yoona threatened.

“I don’t care if you do!” Changmin shouted back. “You haven’t answered my question yet. How dare you be disrespectful in my very own kingdom!”

“Well what sort of fucking excuse do you want to hear? When I’ve been telling the truth all this time, you idiot! I’m tired of trying when all you do is subordinate me down to a position I do not deserve!”

Changmin pushed the door back and she took steps backward at the force, balancing. “It’s because I love you too much to see you get hurt! I love you too much that’s why I’m doing the most idiotic things any prince could do! Because I love you.”

Her tears started rolling down now. Both of them intentionally silent, unmoving, and they avoided each other’s gazes as much as possible. “I love Kibum as someone like a brother, a friend, and I thought betrayal was beyond us. Now I understandthat he already betrayed me from the beginning by falling in love.”

The prince sighed to show her how much he felt sorry (but to Yoona, it sounded like relief).

“But do you love me?”

She gave him a long stare without really answering, and then she gulped hard, probably guilty enough of his words.

“I... I... ” her tongue tied a rather tight knot, she didn’t know exactly what to say before screaming from down below was heard and in a quick moment, footsteps were coming right at her door.

“Your majesty! Your majesty!” shouted one of the nurses. “They’re here!”

-o0o-

“You knew all along I was the lost prince, didn’t you?”

The home, which used to be so solemn and so quiet except for the clashing of steel alongside the humming of the birds, did not appear like the home he had grown accustomed with. It was a different home, and he for a fact knew that it would never be the same again, even if he would leave them all entirely to rule over a kingdom he had only dreamed of.

His uncle and aunt sat on the seat, holding each other’s hands in worry, both startled when Kyuhyun’s voice grew higher. Hands around his waist, head craned back as he paced back and forth, he found it rather impossible now; everything seemed already at stake. His eyes burned, because his tears must have ran out already. It wasn’t, this couldn’t be--- all a dream, he assured himself, slapping his forehead every time the thought of Seohyun and him kissing one time, or holding her hands and feeling the strong spark from its warmth. Weren’t that signs of love? So playful, fate must be laughing his head off seeing the two suffer.

“Yoona and Seohyun are my sisters,” he said, without really directing it to his foster family. “If I had known this long before... if you’d told me earlier, I would haven’t fallen in love by  _mistake_.”

The ahjumma wiped her tears now, sobbing sourly in horror. “I’m... I’m really sorry, Kyuhyun-ah.”

Nichkhun was by the door, but he wasn’t facing them though--- he felt like he needed the free air outside for some laid off time, along with also hearing Kyuhyun whisp out all of his harsh reaction of the truth. Victoria vanished back to her own home now, resting after that terrible adventure.

He turned around now to see Kyuhyun sitting on the floor, face totally blank and dumbfounded, as the more his eyes look redder each time. His head had stopped shaking, his mouth stopped twitching, his whole soul inside dying. If living with him for 18 years had Nichkhun knowing him most, it was the fact that Kyuhyun would never give up, even when the inevitable was right there slapping both of his cheeks; so the hyung knew a portion of him still prayed it wasn’t real.

He must be wishing the pain wasn’t real at all, so Nichkhun felt hurt seeing him this way. In fact anybody would be, if they knew the condition. Nichkhun approached him, kneeling before the future king of Byungmi, holding his shoulder.

“Do you think it’s time for us to leave? You would be meeting your real father soon,” he said softly.

Kyuhyun, losing much of the hostility from earlier, nodded and got up, bowing his head in respect to the his uncle and aunt. “I will come back when I can. Thank you very much for taking care of me so well. I love you two very much.”

With the problem seemingly resolved, the older couple neared him, wrapping Kyuhyun and Nichkhun in their arms. It was a terribly uplifting moment, only Kyuhyun felt no such warmth except hatred for accepting this.

“I will miss you... brother,” Nichkhun said, exchanging arm shakes as they left the blacksmith’s place. The both rode on the horse lent by the palace, and they rode uphill to meet his majesty.

-o0o-

All flustered and all confused, the couple went outside to see what the messenger meant by ‘they’, and to their disbelief, through the big window pane, short-lived rooftops were being slowly burned, and most of them were owned by the less fortunate ones. He gripped her hand as they rushed to the throne room, only to find that everything was going to the unexpected extremes.

Crying and screaming, the endless noise from the outside was bringing Yoona to spill the welled up tears, and only when the sky seemed fairly bloodshot in color had she realized the true meaning of war, and now she was witnessing it herself.

As they entered the wide hall, Yoona and Changmin were separated, pulling them apart and far away from each other by two giantic goons, colossus in a manner of something  _beyond_  mortals. And not only was Yoona scared, she felt that sharp pang of horror meeting her heart, adding too much pressure into her lungs, that instantly she couldn’t anymore adapt and needed more air than usual, her tummy being squished by the fat arms.

“Yoona!” shouted Changmin after seeing her so caught up in an unknown mind attack as he struggled, punching the ugly men on the belly as hard as he could, and he slipped once in a while too, escaping and running to her side at once when he had that minimum chance before he was pulled yet again by his feet, hung him upside down as he threw punches in the air.

“Let go of me, you assholes! Can’t you see she’s having  a hard time breathing?” he yelled in annoyance. “Where are my guards? Where are there? Yoona, stay awake!”

“Easy there, Prince Changmin you’re majesty...”

The whole attention, even Yoona’s own, fell on the man by the doorway, his army of men wearing in green and blue from behind also entering in the room in their horses. Yoona’s eyes widened a little more to see Kibum, in his military uniform, mounted on his white stead and his eyes averted to the other side, no cuts and bruises, no broken leg or back. He looked dashing and traitor was all over his face, Changmin observed.

With bafflement, Changmin pointed with his free hand in sheer exasperation. “I thought... I thought we had you locked up!”

Clicking his tongue, the leader shook his head. “Don’t you know? Our Kibum has been undercover operations to find the quickest way in to conquering Sangdokchi?”

“I will not surrender the crown to scums like you!” Changmin spatted.

“Scums? Excuse me, but I am the King of Dongsook! Every nation and every kingdom acknowledge me and give up theirs to me, I don’t see why  _you_ can’t! And they were far stronger than you, Prince Changmin who would never be anywhere as good as the previous kings of Sangdokchi! Considering that you are unaware and unprepared for this attack, it’s best you give up the crown and become one with the stronger kingdom!”

“Stronger because of Kibum’s father! Dongsook was one of the strongest forces Korea has ever seen! Kibum, snap out of this!” Yoona countered, incensed and tired. His eyes flickered for a second but after which disappeared, and he was more than still.

The king gave her a look of pity. “Aren’t you the one to speak up, eh Princess? Keep talking back and let’s see up to how you can take on that power all by yourself, huh?”

“What...what power?” Yoona wondered, still looking at Kibum as if he would answer it for her. But he was as still as the mammoth crowd around him. He was one of them, Yoona; stop fooling yourself.

He stepped down and walked towards them, victorious spirit even before the battle has been won. Now leering, he cupped Yoona’s chin and smiled maniacally. “Don’t tell me you don’t know, right? Hasn’t Kibum told you about it?” She shook her head, restless and crying again. “Ah, what’s this? I thought Kibum told us Princess Yoona didn’t cry? I thought she was tougher than this little lady right here?”

“She is,” Changmin retorted. “Now get your dirty paws off her!”

“And I thought Kibum said Prince Changmin didn’t care for his wife? Has something been going on between the two of you after Kibum broke out of the dungeon earlier?” Laughter filled the area like it was the Krystal’s fourteenth birthday, and it wasn’t long till this King snapped his fingers together, and from the shadows emerged an old woman with gray hair and familiar creases, draped in a gray cloak.

Yoona’s eyes grew as large as the moon in surprise. “She... she’s...”

Changing into another form, this witch shifted to a taller version of herself, a thinner one too, but her smile brought out the melodramatic similarity to the one earlier. “Hello there, my dear princess.”

She moved her hands around the air, as if controlling it, Changmin watched also in frantic, before Yoona’s inhales were getting deeper and more urgent. Her cackling stung Changmin’s core, even when he had no idea what the hell was going on.

“Yah! Stop it! What are you doing to her?!”

“Stay out of this prince charming,” remarked the evil tyrant. “Can’t you see our sorcerer is working hard to take all the oxygen out of Princess Yoona’s body? It takes effort you know. And say... a lot of power.”

It was the same sorcerer from the island, who was messing with their minds and body right from the beginning.

“Did you miss me, dear?” The witch spoke, sending chills around the room. “Or how has your sister enjoyed the gift I’ve given her? Goodness, your brother’s ring is absolutely powerful! It makes me feel young again!”

“You’re working for... the enemy?” asked Yoona, weak and breatheless. With her invisible thread of strength being tuned down, Yoona looked at Kibum in wonder, searched his eyes in mercy, for anything, for the love he had sworn on her and how much she felt disgusted at once to have trusted. “So... Kibum set us all up? The whole adventure to Yesseu thing? So it wasn’t real? Any of it, the truth behind you forced into military? Everything else.... was a lie? The friendship?” At the last word she choked on blood, breathing heavily.

“You heartless people, what do you want!” Changmin remarked, appalled to see Yoona suffer in this manner and he couldn’t do anything, since he wasn’t part of the so-called adventure.

Kibum from the background bit his lip, lowering his gaze. “Machiavelli, as I’ve thought you, is one of the greatest political icons ever to live, and he thought the world that one must be feared in order to be loved and that is the reason, as someone who belonged to Dongsook, for aquiring true power, restoring power and expanding power. That is the reason why we are here. Eliminate every heir of Byungmi, aquire the rings and combine them three, dispose of Prince Changmin and become the strongest nation in Korea. We will create a unified nation, just one ruler.”

“Oh psh,” said the witch, going through the middle of the room. “Don’t tell them everything yet! You’re spoiling Yoona too much, Lieutenant.”

“You’ve been missing out on your homework,” Changmin intervened. “Korea is divided in order for it to work. The more division of labor distributed, the more chances of it progressing. With only one ruler, not everyone from every district will be heard or their needs will not be tended just as fast as the current system. The only thing for it to actually be effective is when you have... “ His answer was walking towards him right in the eye.

She smiled smugly. “That’s right. When you have a witch by your side.”

“And all we want is cooperation or the consequences are very very bleak, your majesty,” the king asked, snapping his fingers and showing from another part of the shadows Seohyun, unconscious yet again, dragged, and Yoona with brute force, struggled at her best, to call out her younger sister’s name.

“What did you... do to her?” she pleaded, crying. “Seohyun-ah! Seohyun-ah!”

“Same as what we’re doing to you,” answered the witch casually. “She wouldn’t surrender the ring to us, that’s why. We had to do something to get it from her. And as far as I know, it has to be given up solely or taken away if the person is unconscious. Don’t worry, she’s not dead yet. All three of you will die tomorrow together. You, Seohyun and Kyuhyun, your brother.”

“With the three rings combined, we’ll be the most powerful force ever. We’ll be ruling over Korea forever with the elixir of youth broken down from the rings,” explained the King in behalf. “That is, for it to effeciently work, as what Kibum had gathered, we must kill are Byungmi heirs. We have two of the rings now. So... if you would be kind enough to offer your ring to us...”

Yoona shook her head in defeat. “Never... I’ll never give up the ring. Try and take it away from me, you cowards!”

“Ah, you think we didn’t know? One touch from ring without your consent will cause us pain.”

“Just give it to them, Yoona. You’re going to die,” Changmin whispered sadly, his eyes going empty.

Stubborn, she refused. “I won’t. I will never do it.”

“Kibum, should you go fetch the lost prince and have him thrown in the dungeon? You said so yourself you wanted to do it,” asked the King, Kibum nodding at it as he stirred the horse around.

The clock was ticking, and the air she still had inside of her was slowly being consumed into nothingness. Tick tock--- Yoona’s mind swirled, Changmin’s voice yelling in the background before she totally went blackout.

-o0o-

The village was smoky, house after house burned, Victoria covering her nose as she ran to the other side of town, to the old blacksmith’s shop only to find a little too late on catching up with the boys. Kibum met up with her earlier when they were away now, and had instructed she prevent Kyuhyun from leaving the house. And now she knew exactly Kibum’s reason. Dongsook was coming, and now knowing some of her old friends in the alley were now homeless.

As she swiftly entered the room, she could hear the blacksmith and his dear wife talking.

“We can never let Nichkhun know the real truth,” pleaded the wife, as the man hugged her. “Kyuhyun’s mother would have been proud to see her son sitting in the throne. We can always pretend, right? Like how we always pretended that Nichkhun was our real son, like how he isn’t the long lost prince.”

Clicking his tongue in sorrow, the blacksmith nodded. “I know but... we can’t be keeping this secret for a very long time.”

“But my sister, Kyuhyun’s mother... she asked me to give Kyuhyun the best,” explained the ahjumma. “He will lead Byungmi best. I’m sure. Nobody has to know.”

The man scratched his head. “Don’t you see how heartbroken Kyuhyun was? We have to tell him before it’s too late. Before he goes on believing that he’ll never love again.”

“Who would have thought transfering the rings from when Nichkhun was asleep would actually be so easy? Don’t you see what I’m saying? It means it was meant for Kyuhyun to be the prince. The ring worked out well and became almost like a part of him already! Let’s not change the plans now.”

“But... Nichkhun is the real lost prince,” the man stated. “He deserves to be the next King. He’s the real heir.”

Gasping, Victoria slid down the side of the wall, putting her hands over her mouth to prevent the noise.a


	20. Payback

She was running. Not because there were people growing supicious of her rushing through the streets, but because Victoria, being the true friend she considered herself to be, wanted Nichkhun to know that it was him who should be sitting as the next heir, and also because she wanted Kyuhyun so much to know that he could finally love Seohyun.

She halted, hiding, breathing, and trying to create a small map inside her head as to where was the fastest route to the palace. If she told Kyuhyun the truth, it would only drift both of them apart; and if she told Nichkhun that he was the lost prince, he too would be farther from her more than she thought.

And besides, would they even believe her? What proof exactly did she have?

_Tick. Tock._

“Look for that gypsy! She’s an accomplice of the lost Byungmi prince!”

_Tick. Tock._

It was making her dizzy, all these things she must accomplish and decide in mere seconds also to save her existence. In the middle of a war, what exactly do you do to save the ones you love? Really, now she wasn’t even trained in any sort of fencing nor the ways of aikido. Licking her lips, Victoria turned to her left, eyeing more of the guards in green merely from the shadows. If they were still searching for him, it meant that Kyuhyun and Nichkhun hadn’t reached the palace yet. And they were bound to be hiding as well. Only Victoria didn’t know where in Sangdokchi could they be.

“Unnie.”

A feel of electricity pushed Victoria a little, a small chunk of omo, before turning to see none other than the Princess Krystal herself and two of her friends, the other one Qian recognized as the princess of a nearby nation while the other one was the son of the town’s baker. They looked at each other for a moment.

“Omo! What are you doing here?” Victoria wondered.

Krystal sighed. “Prince Kibum told me to fetch you and Kyuhyun-oppa. He asked me to gather you three together with the rest. As of now, every exit is on lockdown, every post is heavily guarded except for Baekham bridge because that is where the King of Dongsook is making his exit for Byungmi to kill their king. He sent me as a messanger so you need to come with us.”

“But where are Kyuhyun and Nichkhun? We can’t leave without them.”

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

Sulli, as she was the other princess Victoria had known, cleared her throat. “Taemin and I must get going now, Krystal. We’ll get everything set. According to planned.”

The girl nodded hastily, giving her a strong hug, and then extending her arm outwards for Taemin to be included. “We’ll see each other in a few days. This is not goodbye.”

“Be safe,” Taemin added, before Sulli inhaled deep.

She patted his cheek along with Sulli’s. “You two should be referring that to yourselves! Now hurry, or they’ll get on to you!” With smug smiles and short salutes, the two chased after the wind, emerging in the corner before Victoria suddenly heard the guards call out, “The Hayanchul princess! She’s escaped! Follow her!”

Krystal held onto Victoria’s hand, before heaving a huge breath in. “And this is the part where we run back to the palace.”

“I don’t get anything yet. Where are Kyuhyun and Nichkhun if they are not yet in the palace?” Victoria responded, and Krystal smiled happily as they scurried quickly uptown.

“I’ll explain everything along the way.”

-o0o-

As she woke up, her back seared horribly, like it was burned and dipped into the fires of hell, so a small scream of pain was echoing in the cells, the sanctuary of the evil and the bad and the gruesome, but she was in here, and her eyes immediately fell on the other two the occupied the room with her.

“Changmin!” she called, crawling towards him because her back still crippled her from doing anything else. “Changmin-ah!”

He was lying on his back, sleeping she noticed as she placed her ear by his chest. Her sister sat at the corner also wide-awake, stunned, practically damaged also just like Yoona.

“What... happened, Seohyun-ah?” she tried asking even when she knew she wouldn’t give any response. She looked up, teary and holding her legs together. She had been crying, just like her but dark circles under her eyes proved how it was too tiring to be doing the same thing over and over again, yet the outcome remaining unchanged.

“Seohyun, answer me! Do you know what happened?”

She shook her head, closing her eyes. “I pretended to be asleep, so it would be easier for them, so that they wouldn’t hurt me more, but they did and they were doing a spell around the palace so you couldn’t breathe anymore and took away your last oxygen. When you were in that state, they took your ring effortlessly. Changmin-oppa struggled and fought back but ended up getting bruised. They threw us in here... and unnie... I’m so sorry... sorry for not doing anything. I’m sorry I could have done better. I could have fought back with you, for you... but... but I was so scared. Now they’re after Kyuhyun and his friends. They would take away his life too. They would capture him first then all three of us would be executed in front of the crowd in an hour. Changmin-oppa and Krystal-ah would be next. But right now she’s still missing and it wouldn’t be long.”

Yoona shivered in the cold, as Changmin finally stirred, his head turning left and right before he finally bolted, dazed but still composed and Yoona wrapped her hands around him hastily in worry.

“They’re going to kill us,” she whispered.

“I... I tried to take away your ring...” Changmin muttered, remembering. “I’m... I’m sorry.” He placed his hands around and she flinched away in horror, her eyes going smaller in agony.

“Eh, don’t. Touch. Me.”

“Sorry, I... how is your back hurt?”

“She was hurled to that wall over there as if she was dead!” Seohyun answered.

Yoona clicked her tongue, cupping his face. “It doesn’t matter. We have to get out of here. We have to go look for Kyuhyun and the others. We have to save each other. We have to stop the King.”

“In one hour, Yoona? It’s already impossible imagining it!” Changmin was exasperated, standing up. “Our dungeon’s are hard to break through!”

Yoona puffed. “Says a person who has only been locked up once.”

“Oh so you’ve been a delinquent before? Well, do tell me more of what you were as a child and something that won’t surprise me otherwise.”

“As I’m trying to say you’re not an expert at cells more than I am so stop bluffing about your precious kingdom! It’s already in someone else’s hands even before you started ruling it!”

“Quiet down there!” bellowed one of the guards.

Seohyun’s mind was also running hastily, devising whatever would be available and quick for their escape. Yet there was nothing, and only the memories of her stupidity and inability to act quick caused them to be dumped into this place. She remembered Kyuhyun again and how much she missed him, again her heart thumping hastily at how wrong all of a sudden this was.

Loud grunts along the hallway, the light from the entry way touched all of their eyes, and Seohyun momentarily was sharing stares with Kyuhyun struggling to get away even when his hands were tied behind his back, his cousin also beside him.

“Kyuhyun-sshi!” Yoona shouted.

The two were also shoved into the cell, by none other than Kibum the traitor himself, and Yoona’s eyes began its teary session once more, just the smell of him and his voice and his presence made everything even more complicated and the rage inside rose as she squirmed to the door, Kibum closing it at once and uncaring at her squeak like a little rat.

“Yah!”

“The King of Dongsook would waste no further time. After he has rested and eaten, since the crown of Sangdokchi is already with him, his last stop before all of Korea is in his hands is Byungmi. He will combine all three of the rings, decompose it to its original state which is the elixir of youth, and by then if drank it, he would be immortal. He will dispose all of you in time so wait until then, okay my dear Yoona?”

Yoona slowly stood up, despite the pain, and held onto the bars as Kibum walked away. “Don’t you turn your back from us!”

He faced them once more, his own heart crushed under the thick layer of Dongsook clothing and he knew it was because he made Yoona cry again. This girl, this princess had also been the main reason for him to fail, and his beautiful plans would go to waste. But now he felt no pity.

It was promised that his father be kept alive until the end of the month, until Kibum successfully accomplished the mission of taking the rings. Because it had already been a month and more, the delay as he realized had been what caused the former king of Dongsook his head. It had been heartbreaking news that Kibum only heard of before Kyuhyun and Nichkhun were captured. Now he felt no pity.

He gripped his side for the revival potion. He had to go back. His father’s body would be deposited at Baekham bridge were river currents meant hurricanes. He had little time left to find his father.

“My father... died,” he gulped before proceeding. “And it’s beacuse I made a tiny small mistake by getting too involved with the two of you. And now I regret it. It’s your fault why my father died.” The keys at his side continued to make a tink, a sound the others needed now as he got further away into the entrance.

“It’s your own damn fault why he died! You should have never trusted them!” Changmin stood beside Yoona, also talking some sense into the other man.

He smirked, shaking his head. “This isn’t goodbye yet, I assure you guys. For now I shall leave you and let.... destiny work its magic.”

“What the fucking destiny is he talking about,” Kyuhyun cursed grudgingly on the floor, kicking the bench where his Nichkhun was seated. “If I get out of here I’ll push him off Baekham bridge myself and get the rings.”

“ _If_ you get out of here,” Nichkhun reminded him, knocking on the walls. “Then again, Sangdokchian dungeon’s are far from having prison breaks.”

“Told you,” Changmin said with a smile and Yoona rolled her eyes.

“Not the right time to be immature,” she said. “We need to get out of here.”

Little did they know that from the other end of the hallway, another ray of hope, a knight in shining armor as they all know it to be appeared.

“Princess Yoona? Kyuhyun? Nichkhun? Are you guys in here?”

“Qian?” Kyuhyun mumbled, eyes widening and standing up, nearly losing balance. “Isn’t... Isn’t that....”

“Victoria!” chorused the cousins, and Seohyun also getting up to see that it was in fact their rescue.

Changmin’s smile was the brightest though because walking behind Victoria was none other than his younger sister Krystal, her hair tied to a bun and wearing boots that appeared worn out. She was scowling as usual, a very nice feature of hers that resembled their parents he noticed.

“Took you long enough!” Changmin commented.

His sister scoffed. “Too idiotic of you to get caught!”

“This is a surprise! What are you guys doing here?” asked Yoona earnestly, holding on the bars and bearing her legs to keep her up. She had forgotten little of her pains, seeing a new hope.

Victoria pursed her lips, the two girls looking behind them as another woman dashed towards them, taking off one of her shoe as it seemed to have broken and still started walking to them, laughing happily. Changmin couldn’t take his eyes off her suddenly, and all the promises, moments, every inch of little excitement came flooding in. Was it really her?

“Whoo, that was some bad ditch!”

Yoona’s eyes travelled from this girl to Changmin standing beside her, observing how his eyes seemed to twinkle happily, how his lips curved to what seemed like a smile and before she knew it the two bowed at each other in greeting--- which wasn’t anymore important in desperate times like such.

Absentmindedly she scratched the back of her head, looking away to give them some sort of privacy, even though she didn’t actually wanted that. Not heartily at least.

“How you’ve been?”

“Wonderful!” she answered excitedly, giggling afterwards.

Krystal felt the need for Yoona to butt in so she cleared her throat herself, seeing that the unnie wasn’t budging at all. “I believe we shall have further I miss you conversations when all of you are free. So Sooyoung-unnie, if you please?”

“In case you’ve forgotten, the Dongsook King’s already preparing to get to Baekham Bridge. We got in just right after. We have to hurry or else the King of Byungmi is sure as... dead!”

At the reminder, Sooyoung clapped her hands together, pulling out the keys from her pocket. She hastily unlocked their door, all five of them getting out at once when Seohyun was hesitant, her eyes observing the situation. Krystal passed two swords to Changmin and Yoona, while Victoria handed her friends the ones she had taken from the guards outside, slashing first the ropes that kept them from using their hands. Too easy. Very easy, Seohyun noticed.

“Seohyun?” Yoona called from the outside, as she seemed to be still.

“How come she has the keys?” She suddenly spatted in disbelief. “Didn’t Kibum have them?”

Kyuhyun nodded, holding his sword out at once, and then aiming back at his friend Qian. “What’s the catch here? Victoria?”

Sooyoung repressed her laughter but later just chuckled anyway. “You guys don’t get it yet, do you?”

Krystal crossed her eyes, sighing heavily. “I’m not telling them everything. That’s not exactly my job.”

Victoria smiled lightheartedly, before pressing her hands together. “Kibum’s behind this all. Sooyoung’s here for a reason. How do I say this? Er... you see...”

“Kibum sent me letters about Dongsook’s invasion. Do you know that?” Sooyoung was turning to Changmin, and he shook his head, along with the sisters. “It’s because he said he needed my help. He planned everything, along with your dearest Krystal here who improved most of the flaws in the plan. He wanted to have you all prisoned and then us three had to bust you out of here. He wanted me to come because I brought with me a ship that would take all of us to live in China.”

“Out? Escape? We can’t escape, I have to save father!” Yoona immediately countered, Changmin pressing her tensed shoulder, and he wasn’t anymore sure if it was because this was Sooyoung talking or because she was just scared as she said she is.

“Kibum’s really like that as a person!” Yoona exclaimed. “Coward. Always wanting to run!”

“Easy there,” Sooyoung added. “Without him, you would actually be dead in an hour. He wanted to act as though he was one of them, because it’s actually the case. He is in fact one of them, but after meeting... you, he shifted his plans. His father died therefore he had to adjust. Kibum’s not a traitor; he posed to be one for your sake, Yoona. For your sake and the future of Korea.”

Her cheeks flushed red at the idea, lowering her head somewhat in apology. Victoria’s eyes immediately widened, jumping up and down at the very reason why she was after Kyuhyun and Nichkhun in the first place. She held both of their hands and grinned.

“Kyuhyun-sshi isn’t the prince.”

Seohyun blanched. “I thought Victoria-unnie said Kyuhyun isn’t the prince.”

Fervently, the woman nodded, startling all of them. “It’s Nichkhun. Nichkhun’s the lost prince!”

“Wait! But he has the ring!” Nichkhun, with emotions overwhelmed, started laughing. “And besides, I was already told by my parents about it! I can’t be the prince, Qian. I know about the rings even before you all did and I did my best preventing them from falling in love.”

She crossed her arms. “Yes you are, because I heard your  _parents_ that Kyuhyun wasn’t the one. They just switched your rings when you were younger. Around then, Kyuhyun couldn’t remember his childhood memories, due to the ring’s absolute power at sucking and adapting to Kyuhyun has its new holder. Remember that the rings can only be taken by hand if they were given up whole-heartedly by the owner or if they were taken when the owner is unconscious.”

“Now is not the time to chat, everyone!” Krystal informed, irritated to see the guards on the either side cornering them in the middle. They started scrambling into smaller groups, guarding the younger and weaker ones (Krystal and Seohyun) as they were back to back, surrounded by a greater number than earlier.

“Seohyun-ah, stay close to me,” Yoona mumbled. And then the real chasing began, the group divided into two as Yoona turned left, while Changmin blasted to the far right; with no parting words, no more exchanges of those.

“Straigh, go straight! Kibum had horses waiting for you there!” Victoria ordered, holding tightly on to Nichkhun as they fled along with Yoona and Seohyun, their swords at ready for the mob that ran after them. Every corner they were lurking in looked almost the same and Seohyun was no in doubt if they were really getting anywhere.

“If he really had planned everything, he should have just killed all the guards so we could escape quicker!” complained Yoona. “Why get us through all of this trouble if he knew we were in a hurry! Damn this prince!”

Seohyun laughed. “Greater success comes with greater efforts!”

“And Seohyun the Confucius returns,” Yoona rolled her eyes, creating more of the laughter while running.

Changmin was a little worried, because everything was happening for too fast, and he wondered if it was all a dream. Sooyoung’s grip on his hand proved it wrong though as she kept tugging him along, when they were falling back and when the guards caught up to them.

“That damn exit’s around here!” Krystal supplied, pointing at the corner. She was leading them, so the moment that some of those Dongsook men arrive, she crashed into one of them, Kyuhyun hastily pulling her away and sliding off swiftly away, Changmin left to finish off most of the guards together with Sooyoung.

“You were really horrible at fencing, to be honest,” Sooyoung remarked; they were now back to back in wait for the predators.

He smiled, a little offended. “That’s not very nice for someone who just came back from China!”

“At least I did come back,” she answered, rushing now to the door in which Kyuhyun himself had opened. “Now let’s hurry because the ship I borrowed isn’t waiting for anyone. If we don’t get there in time, it’ll leave without further warning.”

With about three down, she stood with much pride, her hair shorter than he remembered it to be and she appeared like the better warrior; she was right about him not doing well with swords when they were younger. He smiled at the memory, at Sooyoung and she also repaid with the same nostalgic memory.

“Changmin-ah! Behind you!” she shrieked.

He turned to see Yoona wisping her sword in the air and manually giving the guy a kick by his crotch, and soon she pouted, Seohyun looking surprised at what her unnie had done. Changmin and Yoona gave each other long gazes.

Sooyoung dusted off her hands and bowed at Yoona. “Your majesty, I believe we must leave now. The ship is waiting for us to go and if we can’t make it, it won’t anymore be coming back for us. It’s the only way to pass off that the Byungmi heirs had been killed and that Changmin along with _Krystal,_ ” Sooyoung gave the youngest of them all a nod and she bloats her face in disagreeent. “To look like they always are dead by then.”

Yoona understood the situation, all of them heading outside now to the courtyard where three horses, including Yoona’s faithful Sunmi, were waiting, and the clouds above were starting to look dreary gray.

“You coming with us to stop the Dongsook King?” Yoona asked Changmin, her face growing serious.

The prince laughed. “How is your back, by the way my wife? You look far stronger now.”

She straightened herself, blinking multiple times and licking her lips pensively. “Oh, omo! It’s a little better now!”

Victoria cleared her throat as a signal that she would be changing the subject, pushing Nichkhun into the center. “Nichkhun really is the lost prince, your majesty. I can prove it.”

“You’re kidding,” Yoona turned to her. “We saw with our own eyes how Kyuhyun looked paralyzed back in the island. It can’t be Nichkhun. He wasn’t wearing the ring.”

“That’s because his parents made Kyuhyun wear it, so that Nichkhun was covered as the ordinary boy in case Byungmi would be searching for their prince,” Victoria explained. “That’s what I heard from them and the blacksmith and his wife rarely lie. Except obviously for this situation right now... but considering the situation, I think it was only fair.”

“I’m getting... confused,” Seohyun responded, crossing her arms.

“You’re not the only one,” Krystal even joined in.

Victoria shook her head, going to Sooyoung. “Didn’t Kibum give you something else?”

“Oh yeah,” she said, pulling out from her pocket the ring, tied to its necklace. It was none other than Yoona’s ring, which undeniably she immediately tried taking if it weren’t for Sooyoung raising it high above her that she backed off a little.

“That explains why I feel a little better!” Yoona exclaimed, noticing that it was her elixir of youth, also known as one-third of the Byungmi rings.

“This was sort of the proof Kibum wanted to tell you that he wasn’t lying and he wanted you to know that he’s only doing this because he wanted things back to the way they were,” Sooyoung continued explaining.

“So can I have my ring back now?”

Victoria clicked her tongue. “Nichkhun-sshi, try stealing the ring from her.”

“But you know when the ring is in possesion of another, unless it was given up entirely, it would actually hurt me!” Nichkhun retorted.

“As if you hadn’t touched Kyuhyun’s ring before,” Victoria spatted back, and Kyuhyun’s eyes widened upon the idea she just brought in, his heart beating so fast and so surreal. With Seohyun beside him, he slipped his hand silently into hers and pressed it accordingly. She gripped him tighter, and only with this had he realized that there was something, other than blood, that caused him to stir back to reality, to the real world.

“As much as I don’t to believe that,” Kyuhyun started. “It’s true that even when Nichkhun’s taking hold of it, without me allowing him to take it away; he doesn’t get hurt. At  _all_. Not even once as I can remember it.”

Fed up, the man urged on to swipe the ring from Sooyoung, irritated now than earlier. “I’m not the prince.”

Yoona walked up to him, getting closer that Victoria stomach suddenly churned and Changmin’s eyes patiently observed from this distance. The clouds got heavier, darker, but his eyes reminded Yoona of the sunshine before everything else was wrong, and that kind of warmth was a little too familiar, and not the one she actually would have forced herself to believe found in Kyuhyun’s eyes either.

“Look at me for a second,” she ordered, and Nichkhun did, enraged.

He shook his head. “I can’t be. And you know it’ Kyuhyun.”

Yoona asked for her ring, and she glanced at his palm: no marks, no scars, no anything. She smiled in assurance, taking his hand and staring at the lines on it. She had it near hers, opening her own palm. “Seohyun-ah, come over for a minute.”

Seohyun obeyed, Yoona hurriedly putting her right hand close to Nichkhun’s, so that it appeared now that their hands were in line, tied by the  _lines_ written on their hands. Using her other free hand, she traced one line from her right one, that surprisingly connected with Nichkhun’s palm, and until it ended with a knot with Seohyun’s. She closed her eyes, inhaling strongly yet happily--- even during war, she found her real peace.

“You,” Yoona said to Nichkhun. “Are my brother. You are the lost prince, and you’re going to be the next king.”

Nichkhun, in regret, somewhat accepted it, bobbing his head. “Then if that’s the case we should hurry and get rid of the Dongsook King. Together?” He faced Seohyun, whose tears were welling the bags under her eyes in joy.

“We shall go ahead on the ship now and ask them to wait for you a little while,” Krystal said, going to Yoona at once. She agreed with the idea, mounting immediately on Sunmi.

“I’ll go with you,” Changmin seriously spoke out of the blue.

She chuckled worriedly. “Ah, that’s not necessary. I can handle this. You guys are plenty, and the ship is about to sail, so please get on there. I will catch up when I’m done with that man. He needs my ring to perform his immortal transformation.” She tied her ring around her neck, feeling more powerful than earlier because of it.

“Unnie, I’ll go with you!” Seohyun said, seeing Nichkhun taking the other horse and Kyuhyun also getting on it.

“No,” Yoona flatly decided. “You’re going with Changmin and the others! You’ll be on that ship and I will return to it at once. For now you will hide there.”

“Acting all brave again won’t do you any good,” Seohyun talked back, forcing herself to get on Sunmi without further hesitation. “I’ll be goind whether you like it or not.”

Krystal saluted at the two, smiling widely. “We’ll be in the ship waiting for you so don’t be long. Take the faster route to Baekham bridge. You’ll get there in less than twenty. We’ll handle the guards and some of the army behind here.”

Nichkhun and Kyuhyun, the cousins as everyone knew them to be, raced ahead, plunging into the woods long before Yoona and her sister

While the youngest princess and her older brother mounted on his majesty’s stead, Sooyoung and Victoria settled themselves on the free horse. Changmin still couldn’t focus, still at loss for words, but they had little time to think as hurriedly he gave his horse a small kick, and they were off just as quick, with more of the guards from behind following their trace.

Although he didn’t want this, he still was heading for the port as ordered, yet half of his heart was willing to follow Yoona. Changmin knew the risks, but he knew losing her was scarier than anything.

“Oppa, don’t even think about it,” Krystal suggested.

“You can read minds now?” Changmin scoffed, smiling at her.

Krystal glowered. “Don’t ruin what’s already ruined. Yoona-unnie wasn’t suppose to go after them. She was suppose to just leave. All of us, that’s why Sooyoung’s here to help. It’s not going according to plan so stop doing the unexpected.”

“You and Kibum sure have something going on that I need to dig in more,” Changmin teased, with Krystal rolling her eyes and holding on to him still very tightly, like how she used to in horse rides back when they were younger. He kind of missed this kind of bond; he missed being Krystal’s one and only oppa was the right term.

-o0o-

It wouldn’t work, he knew. While his outside facade of a traitor continued to linger in the atmosphere, Kibum, sitting in one of the best carriages he had ever seen with a bright golden handles, was still thinking. Overthinking things ruined one, but he couldn’t help himself. He had to make plans two steps before the outcome, and maybe even five steps more for Yoona being the totally unpredictable princess that she was.

Yoona.... how was she taking all of this? He hoped that they were now happily away, going to China on their own. It was for the best, Kibum decided. He needed to finish this situation himself, assasinate the Dongsook king to avenge his father, and then it was all over. Pretend yet again that nothing happened, restart and look forward to the future--- Kibum was used to this kind of life anyway, adjusting each and every time. It never hurt, and never would he care more if it was done repeatedly all throughout his life.

“We’re here,” cackled the witch, getting off at once to see Baekham bridge. It was the widest bridge ever built, dividing the two kingdoms of Sangdokchi and Byungmi. The waters below were loud and vigorous, man-eating even and thus travellers usually hated crossing it. But it was the only exit and only way, now Kibum realizing that it was even more frightening than ever before.

The King himself also got out, asking his most loyal soldier to come out with him and look at the dark skies celebrating in their coming victory.

“Isn’t it gorgeous, Lieutenant? The skies and the river! You could hear the river gushing,” said the King. “Are you ready to say your goodbyes to you dearest father before we completely throw him in?”

Kibum was silent, keeping a straight face despite his eyes going red. “None sir. You may proceed.”

“Ah, but before we do such a thing, I need to be immortal and powerful first! Where are the three rings?” Kibum pulled from his pocket the three Byungmi rings, all identical in shape and color. He passed it on to the witch, who started drawing lines  and muttering various incantations, her hands pressed together.

“Place them in the middle of the circle,” she ordered snappily, and he did, as the witch laid her hands on the ground, surges of electricity flying everywhere else; it was smoking ceaselessly now.

As it the fog cleared, the King was surprised that the three rings were still whole. “How could that be? Try again!”

The witch pressed her hands once more, shortening her spells, and then touching the ground. After the same effect occured, nothing else happened: the three rings were still three in number and were still rings in appearance.

“How is it not converted to its original form?” questioned the King, outraged.

Kibum knew of course, but he kept quiet. Also curious and impatient, the witch picked it up in concern, twirling it and weighing it in her hand. “They seem to be... oh, what’s this?” Hand-picking the one without the Byungmi symbols inside, the more she observed it the more now that she had them differentiated.

“It’s not the original ring,” she mumbled. She checked the other two while at it, Kibum taking backwards steps to the carriage. “It’s not Princess Yoona’s ring!”

“That princess is too sneaky! She must have had it switched before she knew of the plan!” the king then assumed.

The witch noticed Kibum’s hesitation and therefore used her strength to prevent him from going any further. “Or as I believe someone else has done that, your majesty!”

He was paralyzed, locked in some kind of invisible force that caused his nerves to tingle sharply every time he made some movement. “I have done nothing!” Kibum growled. “Let go of me!”

“You’ve been telling us lies again, haven’t you lieutenant?” The King turned to him, eyebrows arching upward. “What do you want

With the flash of lightening, and a loud crash of thunder from the heavens, Kibum grew weaker in his struggle, causing himself to bend on his knees now, still gritting his teeth. Right, this was according to plan too. They would have him killed in the river, have him perish along with his father’s already dead body. But alas, it wasn’t too late yet. If he survived the current and if he wouldn’t lose his father, they would come out better with Krystal’s revival potion. They would live happy again.

“Yah! Looking for this?”

The voice, the hope, the damned forbidden hearbeat--- Kibum stared up to see none other than Yoona herself, waving in her hands the ring the witch was after. The King’s eyes grew in shock, noticing that she was still alive.

“Well, you come and get it!” she shouted. Oh hell not that kind of teasing, Kibum thought, shaking his head in misery.

“Seize them!” He immediately ordered  in anger at his soldiers from behind, uncovering their swords out. “Get the ring!”

“Yoona, what the fuck are you still doing here, goddamit,” he mumbled, squeezing his sword out with little precautious movement as the witch was also a little distracted. “I knew this was going to happen. Damn little princess.”

Easily now, he felt himself break free, his eyes falling on the opponent being helped upon by Prince Kyuhyun himself and his known cousin, both of them struggling as the witch was weaker in combat.This was going unexpected, out of hand even. But it was tragically exciting in the likes.

He got up only to be also hovered by his own men and he had nothing else to do but get them out of his way. He wanted to see Yoona, ask her how she was feeling, if she was okay or if she was still feeling betrayed of what he did, or would she be proud of him.

After minutes of struggle and holding the witch to its last breathe, he ended up picking up the two rings and handing one to Kyuhyun, which he instantly declined.

“That doesn’t belong to me.”

Kibum scoffed. “What do you mean? It’s yours!”

Nichkhun’s hands were quick, a grin here and Kibum was confused than ever. Nichkhun tied it around his neck, just the perfect kind of glimmer in the dark too. “Because it’s mine.” More of the soldiers were emerging from here and there, and the more that they have to get rid of them in order to catch up with the princesses.

Kyuhyun held on Seohyun’s ring while the girl battled it out with the rest of the guards. “I’d like to keep it for later.”

“Now where is Yoona?” asked Kibum worriedly, looking around for no sign of the king or the princess. Could have they crossed already to the other side and ventured for too long in the woods?

A shriek of horror came, the boys turning around to see that Yoona was pinned to the ground, her forehead as bloody as her arm. She struggled, her back starting to betray her again, as the pain of being crushed under this man with his huge ego as well grew deeper with the night.

“Give up the ring, princess!” He demanded, before a tiny pebble hit the back of his head. He turned to see not his loyal subject nor any of Princess Yoona’s siblings, but the Prince Charming of the story, the hero of every fairytale. She was tired already that the more she picked up her sword, the more she was driven to unconsciousness. She closed her eyes as the rock dropped to her side.

“Get off her you dumbass and fight someone your level!” Changmin summoned. “Unless of course you’re the coward they all say you really are!”

He drew out his sword, as his breathe quivered; the king so hasty in his feet as well that he dodged Changmin’s attacks, every swing he had countered, and as Yoona remained asleep.

“Oi, Yoona! Wake up!” Changmin called, keeping his eyes on the his opponent. “Wake up, and get out of here! Go back and leave for China! Come on, it’ll be better! You promised me, Yoona! You promised me now get up!”

At his shouting and noise, she did momentarily, opening her eyes and touching her the agony by her head. Had she just noticed this now? The blood trickled down her own hands as she saw Changmin squarely beaten up, his sword slipping off his hands and flying to the river without anymore chance of locating it.

The King held him by his hair, sword on his neck before Yoona screamed. “All right! I’ll give you the ring! Don’t... just hurt him!”

With his cocky smile, his sword dug deeper into Changmin’s skin, him starting to choke on his blood. “See that? Willing to give up everything? Aren’t you the smart one, Princess Yoona? First for your sister? Then your brother and now your lovely prince charming? Isn’t this all but a happy ending?”

She sat on her knees, dizzy, holding her other arm to repress its bleeding, but naturally it did nothing. “Please... please I’ll give up my ring. Just let us be. Please you can have everything else. Don’t hurt him, or anyone else. Not Seohyun, not my brother, and especially not Changmin. They’re the most important things...” Restless, she pulled her ring and threw it to his direction.

“Stupid little princess,” he said, before immediately leaving a deep cut on Changmin and scrambling for the ring.

“Changmin-ah!” she cried loudly, before the prince was on the ground, blood flowing as fast as the current across her.

“Yes finally, the last ring!” He laughed maniacally, Yoona crawling now towards her husband.

“Apparently that’s not all you’ll need,” Nichkhun emerged now, his sword directly aimed for the King’s heart as Kyuhyun and Seohyun were rushing behind, also wounded. Nichkhun plunged with a driving force of a prince, into the heart of that man, for terrorizing the village, for killing thousands of people, for creating a bad name and dishonor to Korea. But even so with all this in his soul he knew he could never really kill a person, and it hurt to see it as Kyuhyun dragged the man’s body into the currents.

On cue the rain started pouring on them, washing away most of the open wounds but still never the real pain. Weeping she crept beside him, holding him in her arms as his hand shakily went to her face. The other three watched miserably.

He coughed blood, eyes closed, but still smiling. “I never got to admit much.”

Yoona bit her lips in sorry. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I made everything wrong. I messed up all the time.”

“You didn’t...” he stammered. “You didn’t messed up. You made everything perfect. You did it in one hour.”

“Not the right time to be immature!” She bellowed, burying her face on his chest. “Please... please stay with me.”

“It can’t be helped,” Changmin said, and his chest finally gave in, Yoona’s cries growing louder and louder, calling his name as the rain crashed down.

No pulserate, no heartbeat. No sparks.

He walked in the midst with his hands shoved down his pockets, teary as well at Yoona’s loss but somehow he knew how to make things all better. He knelt before Yoona, taking out the potion Krystal had bestowed him before leaving out to settle the plans.

“This is a revival potion,” Kibum told Yoona, and she looked up at him, seeing yet again the friend she had before. “It was meant to be drank by my father. We were suppose to escape. I could have caught back his soul from the reaper and bring him to life.”

“No, Kibum...”

“Take it,” he said, getting up. “Take it and give it to Changmin, Yoona.”

“I can’t do that,” she responded, shaking her head violently as if it wasn’t even hurting enough. “I can’t, Kibum. It’s for your father.”

“My father is dead, and I should accept that,” Kibum answered, his tears blending with the rain. “But this prince isn’t done yet with what he was suppose to do. And that is to serve Sangdokchi and love his wife for as much as he can. A flaw in the plan if you must, so please Yoona, take it.”

“I can’t dammit! It’s for you,” she shrieked.  “You’ve done so much for me, I haven’t been able to repay you anything.”

Kibum smiled at her lightly. “You’ve done so much for me. You’ve changed me.”

“Stop doing these things for me... it’s enough...”

He took her hand, placed the vile before closing and giving it a kiss. “For you I’d do anything, you know that part is true, right? I asked you to trust me and now trust me when I say do this. For Changmin and for yourself.”

Unwilling she opened the lid and slipped most of the solution into Changmin’s mouth, as she continued sobbing in horror, waiting for the so-called magic to take effect. Just then, his wounds started sealing, his cuts disappearing, and once more he breathed one hard breath before stirring up. Awake he gazed into his wife’s eyes, the starry overwhelming feeling and seeing her.

He caressed the side of her face and had his head landing on hers. “I forgot to mention one thing.” He smacked his lips on hers, Seohyun hugging Kyuhyun in joy. Nichkhun’s eyes were not on the couple though, for they were on someone else, on the very reason why Changmin had a second chance.

Kibum walked into the rain, and never turned his back. All of them were startled to see him disappear into the river and never be heard of since then. His body was nowhere to be found nor was his father’s, and also even the witch’s. The bloody battle at Baekham bridge would be forever in history.

Yet even with such a sad knowing, everything, aside from Krystal’s addiction to witchcraft, turned out better as Yoona had promised Changmin that it would be.


	21. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story took me eleven months to write. It contains twenty chapters excluding the prologue, and the setting is within a span of one month (more or less) only. I wanted to show how people can actually love a complete stranger, even without believing in fate or destiny, because loving, according to Princess Yoona, is a choice and when your heart chose to do so, there’s no stopping it.
> 
> I love the story very much and is one of my favorites, and I hope you guys did too. Thank you for the support, the love, the comments and subscriptions. I’ve never really thought I could write a ChanYoon one, (specially a very long one like this), and with much pride, I feel happy after finishing this messy piece. Messy, because my MS Word was not cooperative when I was writing this, therefore explains the minor grammar and spelling mistakes.

Yoona stirred awake to the morning that touched the slits of her eyes. It was morning, finally; it was already halfway May. Her tummy turned, rolling to her side at once, stopping as another body hit her. She looked up as this person groaned and pushed her in annoyance back to her spot.

“Good morning, love,” she mumbled through closed eyes, her hands buried under her pillow.

Some more murmur, the man shifted around from here to there until he settled, groggily taking his glasses off the side of their bedside table.

“What time is it?”

“Did we sleep in or something,” Yoona continued asking him, so he sat up immediately, the princess doing the same thing. They stared at the wall opposite them, both seemingly tired from practicing last night the roles they need to do for this day. Krystal, that child, (Yoona always remembered Changmin calling his sister ‘child’ even when she wasn’t) was nowhere to be found though after the practice, even when she was the whole star.

“Ugh, today’s the day.”

Yoona’s eyes widened. “After four years, it’s finally here.”

He snickered, planting a kiss on her cheek. “Four years and you’re still the same old forbidden-loving princess.”

“Four years and you haven’t been better than a prick!” she snapped back, smiling. “I...still can’t believe it. Are you scared, Changmin?”

He scoffed, pushing the covers away and reaching for his slippers. “After living with you, there isn’t anything else to be afraid of.”

“Yah! What are you implying?” she shrieked, following him in her nightgown as they got out into the hallway, both quite in the mood of exchanging thoughts over breakfast. Yoona continued complaining, until met up by her Yuri-unnie, who had convinced herself to work for the Sangdokchi (ex-Byungmi) princess.

“Oi, Yoona! You should go change into your pretty clothes! Guests are coming!” she reprimanded.

Changmin grinned at his wife. “You heard her. Go change while I have breakfast.”

“Why do you always tease me of eating alone? Really, you!” She said, crossing her arms. She turned to Yuri now, holding out the woman’s hands. “I wonder what will happen today. I can’t wait. I swear, I just can’t.”

She jumped in excitement, childishly as though she wasn’t turning twenty-four in a few days. “Eh, easy. This isn’t about you anymore. You had yours four years ago!” Changmin stated.

“There was no engagment party,” Yuri said before leaving them.

“Where in devil’s beard is Minwoo?” Yoona said, scartching her head as they pass by the dining area, with his parents already settled and having a great meal.

Changmin, also going concerned, shrugged and took her hand with him, kissing it lightly and dragging her now to the table. They greeted his highness and her majesty a wonderful morning.

“You two seem to be... happy,” observed the queen, eyeing Changmin then to his father, an exact replica she noticed. Yoona sat beside her, Changmin taking the seat across her.

“Have you seen Minwoo?” the princess couldn’t be anymore worried, turning her head from the other end of the room to another. Her mother-in-law, putting a hand over her shoulder, gave Yoona a reassured look, her stormy inside calming down.

“Isn’t he with his Aunt Seohyun?” she asked, and Yoona nodded, remembering her sister coming over last night for the last minute visit and dress rehersals for Krystal’s event. Victoria’s mother and Seohyun designed her gown themselves. Kyuhyun also came, and Minwoo just loved his uncle too much and requested to sleep over at their little home downtown of Sangdokchi.

“Ah yes, yes, I completely forgot,” she said, sorry in behalf of her fading memory.

The king swallowed before adding, “Minwoo’s turning four years old but the child’s very witty.”

“Takes after me,” Changmin and Yoona chorused together, glaring at each other immediately. It wasn’t long till he was about to retaliate that she kicked his leg from underneath the table, and he jerked up, mouthing ‘I love you so much’ as she did the same.

He decided to change the topic then, because Yoona could go on with the kicking and he would get a seriously bruised leg for tonight. “Then, is your brother coming tonight?”

“Victoria’s condition isn’t that too well for travel, but Nichkhun promised me he’ll come over,” Yoona answered. Her face bloomed in excitement. “Changmin and I will have our first nephew in a few months!”

“I think Byungmi is at its best and I’m rather thankful that Yoona didn’t rule or that would have been awful,” teased Changmin, the three of them, excluding Yoona, started laughing at the idea.

He reached for her hand on the table, squeezed it very tightly, as if saying how much he miss her even when they had never even been apart. “Her incapability must be why I’ve lost my self. And I like it that way. You wouldn’t have an adventurous grandson if it weren’t for our Yoona here.”

“Like that helps, you moron,” Yoona giggled to herself, admiring him this way and placidly enjoying the meal for the mean time until she remembered another thing.

“Speaking of tonight, where is the girl? I bet she’s nervous,” Yoona stated. “I’ve never been one exactly to have an engagement party since our marriage was out of war and all.”

Changmin pointed up. “Must be in her room, memorizing her lines. Krystal easily gets frightened by people though.”

“She’ll make a wonderful queen, I’m sure,” Yoona encouraged, before biting her lips and deciding to get up.

“Where are you going?” Changmin instantly asked, his eyes actually on the food. He sensed the vibes going inside her, how she seemed to be a little not herself. She was worried, also for the younger sister of Sangdokchi, of the royal family, and he knew how much she treated Krystal with much care and concern more than he did, which was nice.

“I wish to see Krystal for a moment. Before later,” she said, bowing her head at the majesties and Changmin.

It felt like a chapter turned back, a whole book in the making, Yoona shook her head in horror at this feeling. It was just a feeling. Krystal would do wonderful, she would fall in love like Yoona had for Changmin and besides, wasn’t she and this young prince friends before the announcement came? It was just a  _feeling_ , Yoona assured hesrelf, but a very great hard feeling that made her swallow her pride and knock at the princess’s door.

She heard her soft ‘come in’, and so Yoona did, smiling to see the girl on her bed, reading a book. She seemed like herself, Yoona saw –mundane expression on and laziness abound so her worries start to fade.

 “You okay?”

Krystal nodded, pushing back her hair and closing the book. She crossed her legs to make room for the unnie. “Is something bothering you?”

“Just nervous I guess,” she smiled. “I’ll be fine. No need to worry, I promise.”

“How is he, then? How is he taking all of this?”

Krystal looked up in surprise. It was like she was meeting someone like herself in another dimension. “He’s bound to be all right, I guess. We’re just both nervous. We’re just twenty and ruling a kingdom entirely is... effort. I don’t like effort.”    

“You don’t have to do this, darling,” Yoona said, cupping her face. “If you don’t love him, don’t force yourself.”

She grinned brightly at it, looking into her unnie’s eyes. “But you didn’t back out from marrying my brother. I suppose that can be an example? I don’t think I have to love him like how you’ve mindlessly did for oppa, since I have no intention of having a little Minwoo either. When Minwoo’s twenty, he’ll take over. I’d be free.”

“You can always back out now,” she decided. “Now come down and have breakfast with us. We need to prepare you for tonight, understand?” She stood up, her hair shorter than Krystal had remembered it from four years ago, but her smiles were always the same, always pure and accepting. She was glad to have her as a sister-in-law. She was perfect, Yoona was, and her fairytale was already happily-ever-after.

The door closed behind Yoona, and Krystal pulled out from the book the letter she kept reading over and over again until she could remember every dot and quote, every blot of ink that he wrote.

“I can’t love him... “ She quietly spoke, her tears starting to come out. “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I can’t.” That prince, her soon to be husband, wouldn’t even understand her  _hobby_  relating witchcraft.

She didn’t want to rely and become the princess Yoona had  turned into. Although she would be known in storybooks and whatnot in the generations to come, Krystal didn’t want that. She didn’t need marriage, not when her heart was somewhere else. Could she be reflecting what her oppa felt before? Would she have the same fate?

Because her heart belonged to someone else’s. And she didn’t like her heart being oppressed against duty to the kingdom.

This would be a new world she would lead. She didn’t like to make the mistakes the others had. She would be better.

 

T h e  E n d

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for the love. ♥


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